Use of chitosan to shelf life extension of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri) caviar

This study was carried out to evaluate the feasibility of chitosan, a natural antimicrobial substance to improve the caviar shelf life. The effect of chitosan coating was carefully studied within 150 days storage time at -3°C in a standard situation. Both the caviar wrapped  by chitosan and the control sample, were packed in commercial glass Jars. Chemical, microbiological and sensory analyses were done during storage time. Results showed that the effect of chitosan coating on caviar samples was to maintain their good quality characteristics and extend the shelf life of caviar significantly (p 0.05) about 60 days in contrast with standard sample.