Effect of different storage conditions on the dielectric properties of the Sea Bass

The increasing focus on food quality and safety among consumers has contributed to the growing demand for sensitive and rapid analytical technologies that can be used to evaluate the freshness and authenticity of fish and other seafood products.

In this study, the seasonality effect on the freshness profile of different economic fish species was evaluated for the first time, using three different approaches (sensory: Quality Index Method (QIM) and European (EC) Scheme; physical: Torrymeter (TRM) values; and microbiological analyses: Total Viable Counts (TVC) and degradative bacteria). Over a year, individuals of farmed fish Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax, as well as the wild fish Trachurus trachurus, Scomber colias, and Sardina pilchardus, were sampled seasonally for the evaluation of their freshness profile over 10 days on ice.

This document provides guidance and handy tips, which consumers can use to ensure they know what to look for when purchasing quality fresh, chilled or frozen seafood.

The quality of fish and fishery products is a major concern in fish industry worldwide. Essentially, the objective of fish and fish product assessment is to avoid the ingestion of contaminated food; to evaluate the nutritive value of food by detecting the presence of biological, chemical and physical hazards and in the end to ensure the safety of the consumer. To assess the safety of fish and fish products both instrumental and sensory methods are used. Sensory methods are the most satisfactory way of assessing the spoilage and freshness of fish and fishery products.

Quality changes of whole, iced Gilthead sea bream were monitored by sensory evaluation, k1 value, GR Torrymeter, and bacterial counts. The methods were tested for their suitability to determine freshness quality and remaining storage life in ice.