Background: Whole oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were processed using high-pressure (HP) treatment (150-300 MPa) to determine their shucking and biochemical properties. Subsequently, HP-treated oysters were cooked at 160 degrees C for 90 s, as when preparing the oyster omelette dish, to evaluate their physical and sensory characteristics as compared to raw oysters.
Results: The treatments of 250 and 300 MPa for 2 min and 0 min, respectively, resulted in 100% release. The pH of HP-treated oysters increased slightly from 6.50 to 6.82, and the moisture contents of the HP-treated oysters with or without further cooking were all higher than those of the control. The brightness, yellowness and cutting strength of HP-treated oysters with further cooking changed insignificantly, while the redness decreased compared to the control. Sensory evaluation showed that oysters treated at 250 and 300 MPa oysters after cooking received higher quality scores than the control.
Conclusions: HP processing at 250 and 300 MPa proved to be a good method for oyster shucking. The HP-treated oysters cooked in the oyster omelette are acceptable to consumers. Overall, the application of HP as a processing method to improve the quality and acceptability of oysters and their related products would be possible.