FLAVOR OF COOKED CATFISH (PANGASIUS HYPOPHTHALMUS) FILLETS AS PREDICTION FROM RAW FRESH AND FROZEN‐TO‐THAWED

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to develop a lexicon of sensory descriptors for Vietnamese catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fillet products, and to investigate the use of sensory characteristics of raw and frozen fillets to predict the flavor of cooked catfish fillets. Descriptive Analysis (DA) was applied by a panel of 11 trained panelists to samples of raw fresh fillets and frozen fillets at three stages: frozen, thawing and thawed. Samples were also cooked at 200C for 25 min to evaluate their flavor. A lexicon of sensory attributes was generated for three types of samples: raw fresh, frozen‐to‐thawed and cooked. The validity of this lexicon has been discussed. Raw fresh and frozen‐to‐thawed samples were shown to be predictors for sensory characteristics of cooked samples. Sensory quality of catfish fillets was indicated by textural properties and flavors more than appearances and colors.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis study provides Pangasius processors with sensory lexicons of Pangasius fillets to support the development of their quality control plans. The study also provides producers and purchasers with methodological guidelines for making prediction of flavor of Pangasius products at different phases of the processing: raw fresh, frozen, thawed and cooked.