Influence of Storage Time and Temperature on Quality of Catfish(Ictalurus punctatus)Frames

Chemical, physical, microbiological, and sensory changes of catfish frames stored at different times and temperatures were determined in terms of pH, Hunter color, aerobic plate counts (APC), total coliform counts (TCC), and quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). Catfish frames stored at 25°C were considered microbiolog-ically acceptable for 10.3 hr with APC reaching < 107 CFU/g or for 18 hr with TCC being >106 CFU/g; whereas, sensory storage life was limited to 6 hr. At 5°C, catfish frames had microbial acceptability for 3.5 d and sensory acceptability for 4 d, with a significant increase in TCC counts after 2 d. Catfish frames stored at 0°C had the longest storage-life, up to 8 d, due to acceptable APC and sensory assessments. TCC of frames stored at 0°C declined. Hunter L-and Hunter b-values as well as pH of catfish frames did not change with storage time or temperature. There were linear correlations (r > 0.9) between microbiological and sensory changes. This study suggested that microbial numbers and sensory scores were good indicators of catfish frame quality.