Biochemical, sensory and microbiological attributes of wild turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), from the Black Sea, during chilled storage

Freshness of wild turbot (Scophtalmus maximus) stored in ice was assessed by chemical, sensory and microbiological methods. The limit for sensory acceptability of wild turbot stored in ice was ~12-15 days. The quality of turbot decreased on day 15 (B) and they were no longer acceptable on day 19 (C). The TVB-N level showed fluctuations during storage, indicating that TVB-N could not be a good indicator of turbot quality. The release of FFA increased from an initial value of 6.33 (expressed as % of oleic acid) to a final value of 20.6 during the storage period. The initial PV value was 5.60 meq/kg for turbot stored in ice and it started to increase to 21.6 meq/kg on day 12 and then started to decrease to 13.6 meq/kg at the end of storage period. The level of TMA in wild turbot increased sharply from an initial value of 9.36 mg/kg to a final value of 38.9 mg/kg. Linear regressions (r2) obtained from K, Ki, G, P, H and Fr were 0.92, 0.89, 0.99, 0.89, 0.96 and 0.89, respectively, for the wild turbot stored in ice. Turbot maintained high (E) and good quality (A) during the first 12 days of chilled storage when the average K, Ki and P values were ~78-85%, and H, Fr and G values were ~45%, 15% and 149%, respectively. Eight biogenic amines were investigated, namely, histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine, tryptamine, tyramine, and 2-phenylethylamine, three amines (histamine, tyramine, and tryptamine) were not detected in any of the fish samples during the storage period. As storage time progressed, putrescine and cadaverine became the dominant amines, reaching 22.7, and 16.9 mg/kg, respectively, at 19 days of storage in ice. Total viable counts of whole gutted turbot increased from the initial value of 3.3 log cfu g-1 (day 0) to 7.87 log cfu g-1 (day 19) over the period of storage. If 106 microorganisms/g are considered to be the TVC limit of acceptability, the shelf life of turbot was approximately ~13-14 days. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved