The effect of thermal treatment on the quality changes of Antartic krill meal during the manufacturing process: High processing temperatures decrease product quality

The quality of krill products is influenced by their manufacturing process and could be evaluated by their degradation products from lipid oxidation and non-enzymatic browning reactions. The main objectives of this study were: (i) to investigate the effect of thermal treatment on these two reactions in krill products during their manufacturing process; and (ii) to understand and postulate the possible mechanisms for non-enzymatic browning reactions in krill products.

Characterisation of krill products at different stages was obtained by determination of their lipid composition (lipid classes and phospholipids), antioxidant (α-tocopherol and astaxanthin esters) and volatile profiles (degradation products from lipid oxidation and Strecker degradation). The use of thermal treatment resulted in lipid oxidation and subsequently led to the development of non-enzymatic browning reactions in krill products during their manufacturing process.

It is hypothesized that non-enzymatic browning reactions in krill products might occur through Maillard reaction or lipid peroxidation pathways. Practical applications: The quality of krill products is influenced by the temperature used during their manufacturing process, and the occurrence of their degradative reactions is influenced by the chemical composition and matrix of krill products.

This work provides information about the possible mechanisms of the two most commonly found reactions in the food system namely, lipid oxidation and non-enzymatic browning reactions. This information is not only applicable to krill products but also to other food matrices containing lipid, protein, sugar, etc.