Pre-cooking and liquid smoke affect the physicochemical and microbiological quality and polyhydroxy aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content in smoked skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis L.)

This study aimed to compare the quality of smoked fish products processed with liquid smoke with and without pre-cooking when stored at room temperature (25°C) for 0, 2, 4, and 6 days. The observations included moisture content, water holding capacity, color, and total plate and mold counts. The treated samples were also analyzed for polyhydroxyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at day 0. The study found that the pre-cooked products had a lower moisture content (55.1%) than the control (59.9%) during storage. Additionally, the pre-cooked product had a higher water holding capacity than the control. The TPC value indicates that the pre-cooked product meets the Indonesian standard for smoked fish up to the 2nd day of storage, whereas the control product only meets the standard on day 0. However, the total mold of the control products meets the Indonesian standard until the 2nd day of storage, while the pre-cooked products only meet the standard on day 0. The pre-cooked product had a higher lightness value (L*) than the control. The analysis of polyhydroxy aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) showed that the pre-cooking process did not affect the concentration of PAH.