Development of a new formulation (Cryoprotectorants) for frozen Lobster meat
In this project, we are interested in investigating a known natural cryoprotectorant that we will use in the preservation of frozen cooked lobster meat (CLM). The tests that we will employ to ascertain the effectiveness of the formulation will include standard industry approved physical and chemical tests such as moisture content, salt protein analysis and lipid oxidation of CLM. Instrumental analysis like High Performance Liquid Chromatography will be a technique used in a new way to determine the absorption of the components of the new formulation in the CLM. Other instrumental analysis will involve the use of Raman spectroscopy to investigate the integrity of the surface muscle fibers. This technique is sensitive to structural changes in the surface proteins to determine if the surface tissue has been damaged by the freezing process. The investigations in the chemical laboratory in this project will be subsequently extended by detailed microscopic investigations by collaborators who are experts in lobster anatomy to investigate the extent of the freezing damage to the inner and outer tissues of CLM.