Potential of Natural Anesthetic Ocimum basilicum Essential Oil and Eugenol in the Preslaughter Transport of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and its Effect on Fillet Quality

This study evaluated the fillet quality parameters and the fatty acid profile of Nile tilapia subjected to transport with essential oil of Ocimum basilicum and eugenol. Fish was distributed in five treatments: N: non-transported; C: transported with water only; A: water + ethanol; E: water + eugenol; and M: water + O. basilicum. The anesthetics prevented the decrease of the fillet pH. The colorimetry a* (red) was higher for the fish fillets transported with ethanol. The water loss due to dripping was higher in fish transported in water + ethanol. The water loss due to thawing was lower in the nontransported fish fillets. The non-transported fish fillets presented a higher margaric acid content. In general, the fatty acid profile was not altered in its composition, showing that the use of eugenol and O. basilicum essential oil did not change the final quality of the fillet.