Study of the influence of the fishing season and the storage temperature in the fishing vessel on the biogenic amine and volatile profiles in fresh yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and dry-cured mojama

Abstract

The present research focused on studying the biogenic amine and volatile compound profiles of fresh yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and the resulted dry-cured product, the so-called “mojama”. This study aimed to evaluate how external factors such as the storage temperature in fishing vessels (EU regulation) and fishing season, may affect quality and food safety features. Nine biogenic amines were determined by HPLC–DAD following the official methodology and the volatile organic compounds profiles were analysed and quantified by HS-SPME–GC–MS. All the samples analysed in this study presented levels of histamine (from 0.00 to 9.49 mg/kg) far from those considered hazardous for human health (50 mg/kg for FDA and 100 mg/kg for EU) demonstrating the no or very limited impact of the factor considered in EU legislation regarding the storage temperatures in fishing vessels (–9 °C and –18 °C). From the volatile profiles, a total of 38 organic compounds were found in the samples, with aldehydes, alcohols and ketones as the predominant groups. Comparing the two storage temperatures, the fresh tuna loins stored at −9 °C showed higher concentrations of volatile compounds while no differences were detected in the dry-cured product, demonstrating the additional preservative characteristics given by the process.