Abstract: In order to prolong the shelf life of freshwater fish at room temperature, an antibacterial coating consisting of ε-polylysine (ε-PL) and sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) was prepared by one-step electrostatic assembly, and its molecular structure, stability and antibacterial properties were studied. The effect of the antibacterial coating on preserving the quality of grass carp fillets was evaluated as well. The results showed that a stable ε-PL-AOT complex insoluble in water and soluble in ethanol was formed at pH 2, ε-PL concentration of 1.5 g/100 mL and AOT concentration of 3 g/100 mL. The complex at 2% in ethanol formed a stable coating on the surface of plastic wrap, which was effective against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The ε-PL-AOT antibacterial film had a higher antibacterial effect compared with ordinary commercial polyethylene (PE) film. After the ε-PL-AOT treated fish was kept at 37 ℃ for 24 h, the total number of bacterial colonies on the surface was 870 CFU/g, which meets the requirement of the Chinese national standard for the first freshness grade of meat products. The ε-PL-AOT composite coating has the advantages of simple preparation process, good stability and significant antibacterial effect and is promising for industrial production. The present study will hopefully promote the application of ε-PL-based coating in the preservation of freshwater fish products.

Key words: ε-polylysine; electrostatic assembly; antibacterial coating; preservative performance; freshwater fish