Calcium alginate coatings with lysozyme and nisin on smoked salmon
What it found
A calcium alginate coating mixed with lysozyme and nisin slowed the growth of two harmful bacteria on smoked salmon kept in the fridge.
This was tested on small pieces of fish, not in people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Slower bacterial growth
After 35 days in the fridge, the coatings with nisin and lysozyme cut bacterial counts by 2.2 to 2.8 log CFU/g compared to untreated fish. This applied to both Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella anatum.
Lysozyme source made no difference
Oyster lysozyme worked about the same as hen egg white lysozyme against both types of bacteria on the salmon surface.
Coating boosted enzyme effect
Adding either type of lysozyme into the calcium alginate coating made it work better than using the enzymes alone.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that calcium alginate coatings containing lysozyme, with or without nisin, can reduce bacterial growth on ready-to-eat smoked salmon during refrigerated storage.
How it was done
Smoked salmon is eaten without further cooking, so keeping harmful bacteria from growing on it matters. The researchers wanted to see if a calcium alginate coating could help control these germs.
Small 1 g pieces of smoked salmon were coated with calcium alginate mixed with oyster or hen egg lysozyme, with or without added nisin. The samples were then stored at 4 degrees C for 35 days.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was tested on small pieces of fish in a lab setting. It cannot show how well this coating would work on whole packages sold in shops.
- These results do not tell us anything about health effects in people who eat food treated this way.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Louisiana State Univ. Agricultural Center, USA
The paper
- Title
- Control of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella anatum on the surface of smoked salmon coated with calcium alginate coating containing oyster lysozyme and nisin
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Datta S, Janes ME, Xue QG, Losso J, La Peyre JF (2008). Control of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella anatum on the surface of smoked salmon coated with calcium alginate coating containing oyster lysozyme and nisin. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00633.xPubMed 18298738DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error