SHELF-LIFE OF ICE-STORED REDFISH, SEBASTES MARINUS AND S-MENTELLA

Redfish (Sebastes marinus and S. mentella) were caught by an Icelandic trawler, stored at about 0 degrees C in boxes in the hold and landed in a German fishing harbour. Boxed redfish, differing in storage time on board, were subsequently stored in melting ice in the chill store o f the laboratory at a temperature of +4 degrees C until the borderline of saleability was reached. The quality loss of the ice-stored redfis h was monitored by a number of chemical, physical and microbiological parameters including volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (T MA), trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), creatine, ethanol, Fishtester readin gs and number of cfu. All parameters were correlated with sensory anal ysis and time in ice. The rate of deterioration of iced redfish depend ed on the conditions of storage. Sensory analysis was the most accurat e indicator of the limit of saleability of redfish. Iced redfish, stor ed mainly in a chill store (4-5 degrees C) onshore, had a shelf-life o f 16 to 19 days from catching. Fish stored at -0.5 degrees C in the ho ld of the fishing vessel had a shelf-life of 22 days. These results re flect the different storage temperatures and the effects of handling, transport and storage damage on the quality of the fish. The Fishteste r proved to be very useful for the determination of deterioration. Mea suring ethanol, TVB-N and TMA gave no information about quality change s during the first 12 days of storage.