Determination of the wetting capacity of sulfated polysaccharide coatings from the red seaweed Gracilaria birdiae and evaluating the shelf-life quality of frozen shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

This article aims to evaluate the effect of edible coatings based on sulfated polysaccharide (SP) from the red algae G. birdiae in extending the shelf life of Pacific shrimp filets. The SP was obtained by hot aqueous extraction of previously dried G. birdiae. Experimental design 3² was carried out to evaluate the wettability of SP coating, using glycerol as plasticizer. By the Zisman method, the shrimp surface has low energy, and the best coating showed a wettability of − 6.6998 ± 1.09 mN/m. Microbial and physicochemical analysis were performed for 180 days on frozen shrimp submitted to SP coating and glaze. SP coating improved chemical and microbial stability of shrimp compared to the glazing method. The weight loss, pH, and lipid oxidation of shrimp coated with SP solution were comparable with those of the glazing method. Therefore, SP from G. birdiae showed high potential as an edible coating for Pacific shrimp filets.