Inactivation by pulsed electric fields of Anisakis in naturally infected hake meat

Anisakis is a zoonotic parasite found in the stomach of marine mammals. Its eggs are released into the sea and ingested by fish and cephalopods. Humans accidently become hosts when they consume raw or undercooked fish, or cephalopods, leading them to suffer from intestinal syndromes and allergic reactions. In Europe, the officially prescribed methods for inactivation of Anisakis are heat treatment or freezing, both of which can affect fish quality. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of PEF for the inactivation of Anisakis ; however, none of them have featured naturally infected samples. This study focuses on 1) the inactivation of Anisakis by PEF in naturally infected hake belly fillets (as hake is one of the most parasitized species in Europe) and 2) the evaluation of the quality of fish samples during their shelf life after PEF treatment. Results showed that it was necessary to apply higher PEF intensities of up to 5 kV/cm to inactivate Anisakis when it is naturally parasitized in comparison to artificial scenarios or when the parasite is present in water. The degree of inactivation increased over time when the samples were stored after PEF treatments in a modified atmosphere containing 50% CO 2 . After PEF treatments, quality analyses during shelf-life indicated that fish microbiota evolved similarly to untreated samples; however, the modified atmosphere limited the growth of the microbiota. In PEF-treated samples, quality parameters (drip loss, moisture, water holding capacity, and cooking loss) were closer to those of fresh hake and superior, in terms of quality, to the values obtained in frozen/thawed samples during their entire shelf-life. • PEF assures 90–100% Anisakis inactivation in hake. • PEF did not affect hake quality during shelf life. • PEF an alternative to freezing for Anisakis elimination.