Edible coating from VCO, iota-carrageenan and alginate blends for pindang fish preservation

This study aims to develop an edible coating based on virgin coconut oil (VCO) nanoemulsion, iota-carrageenan and alginate to prolong the shelf life of pindang (mildly salted cooked) fish products. The research involved three stages: material preparation, characterization and determination of factors and responses for experimental design; parameter optimization to achieve optimal conditions; and application and analysis of pre- and post-coating characteristics of pindang fish. The parameter ranges were 0.5–1.5% for alginate concentration, 0.5–1.5% for iota-carrageenan concentration and 0.5–1.0% for VCO nanoemulsion concentration. The result of this study was an optimized food coating solution that was clear and bright white in color. Pindang fish coated with this layer showed improved quality in terms of water content (48.46%), weight loss (0.39%), pH (5.84), total volatile base (47.01%), salt content (2.9%), appearance (7), texture (7) and slime (7). At the same time, the total bacterial count remained unchanged (8 log colony-forming units (CFU)/g), the mold count remained unchanged (5 log CFU/g) and the aroma and taste received a score of 6. Thus, this study successfully produced an optimized edible coating that can enhance the quality and extend the shelf life of pindang fish, making it suitable for broader market distribution.