Preservation of iced refrigerated sea bream (Sparus aurata) by irradiation: microbiological, chemical and sensory attributes

Abstract

Quality and shelf life of non-irradiated and irradiated (2.5 and 5 kGy) sea bream in ice conditions and stored at +4 °C were investigated by measurement of microbiological, chemical and sensory analysis. Microbial counts for non-irradiated sea bream samples were higher than respective irradiated fish. Total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) values increased value of 38.64 mg/100 g for non-irradiated, sea bream during iced storage whereas for irradiated fish lower values of 13.48 and 12.06 mg/100 g were recorded at 2.5 and 5 kGy, respectively (day 19). Trimethylamine (TMA-N) values and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values for irradiated samples were lower than non-irradiated samples. Acceptability scores for odour, taste and texture of cooked decreased with storage time. The sensory scores of sea bream stored in control and 2.5–5 kGy at +4 °C were 13 and 15 days, respectively. The results obtained from this study showed that the shelf life of sea bream stored in ice, as determined by overall acceptability all data, is 13 days for non-irradiated sea bream and 15 days for 2.5 kGy irradiated and 17 days for 5 kGy irradiated sea bream.