Effect of combined low-temperature plasma pretreatment and modified atmosphere packaging on the quality characteristics and microbial community of sous vide Solenocera crassicornis

The quality changes of red shrimp ( Solenocera crassicornis ) muscles during 30 d of refrigeration at 4°C were compared by evaluating physicochemical properties and microbial diversity. The peeled (1) and shell-on (2) shrimp were grouped by three processing methods: VLS1 and VLS2 (vacuum packaging (VP), low-temperature plasma (LTP), then sous vide (SV)), VSL1 and VSL2 (VP, SV, then LTP), and MLS1 and MLS2 (modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), LTP, then SV). During prolonged chilled storage, the b* values, pH, cooking loss (CL), total viable count (TVC), and TVBN in peeled and shell-on shrimp muscles decreased, and the L* values, a* values, elasticity, water-holding capacity (WHC), and moisture content (MC) increased, while shearing force and chewiness initially climbed and then decreased. Among the three methods, MLS best preserved shrimp quality. Furthermore, High-throughput sequencing (HTS) showed decreased microbial richness and diversity in both peeled and shell-on shrimp with longer chilled storage. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla, with Pseudomonas and Achromobacter as the main genera in both muscle tissues. Moreover, correlation analysis showed that the growth of Pseudomonas , Psychrobacter , and Carboxylicivirga was closely linked to various physicochemical factors. This study helps understand red shrimp quality deterioration during refrigeration and supports new preservation methods. ● Muscle quality of peeled and shell-on shrimp was compared during chilled storage. ● Shrimp were treated with packaging, low-temperature plasma, and sous vide methods. ● Modified atmosphere packaging provided the best preservation of shrimp quality. ● Microbial richness and diversity declined with extended refrigeration time. ● Microbial genera were correlated with physicochemical properties in red shrimp.