QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF BLUE WHITING (MICROMESISTIUS-POUTASSOU) DURING CHILLED STORAGE BY MONITORING LIPID DAMAGES

Different kinds of lipid damage indices (peroxide value, conjugated di ene index, thiobarbituric acid index, free fatty acid content, polyene index, and fluorescent compound formation) were studied during the ch illed storage (0 degrees C) of a lean fish species (blue whiting, Micr omesistius poutassou) and compared to total volatile base-nitrogen con tent(TVB-N). Similar to previous results regarding a fatty fish specie s (sardine), fluorescence detection of interaction compounds calculate d as the ratio between fluorescence measured at 393/463 nm and that at 327/415 nM showed the best correlation with TVB-N evolution and provi ded the highest independent contribution to Dime prediction during chi lled storage. Present results indicate that this fluorescence detectio n is sensitive enough for assessing freshness loss during chilling of a lean fish species and appears to be the equal if not the superior of a recognized method such as TVB-N to assess fish spoilage.