Effects of Pecan Nut () and Roselle Flower () as Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agents for Sardines ().

The effects of pecan nut () and roselle flower () as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents on shelf life extension of sardines () were evaluated over a period of 5 days at 7 ± 1 °C. Treatments consisted of the addition of 5% and 10% / pecan nut, 5% / roselle flower and a combination of 5% of each. Physicochemical (lipid oxidation, fatty acids, hexanal and biogenic amines), sensory and microbiological characteristics of fish samples were periodically analyzed. All treatments effectively improved physicochemical quality parameters, with 10% / pecan nut having the highest effectiveness. The presence of roselle flower reduced microbial growth. Our findings suggest that addition of a natural preservative combining pecan nut and roselle flower may extend the shelf life of fresh sardines during chilled storage while maintaining quality indexes.