Cod and rainbow trout as freeze-chilled meal elements

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Aquaculture
• Food Preservation

Background:

• Industrial meal element production involves preparing components for assembly in satellite kitchens.
• Freeze-chilling combines freezing, frozen storage, thawing, and chilled storage for extended product availability.
• This study investigates freeze-chilling's impact on cod and rainbow trout quality attributes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the influence of freeze-chilling on the quality of cod and rainbow trout portions.
• To determine the high-quality shelf life of freeze-chilled fish meal elements.
• To assess the suitability of cod and rainbow trout for industrial meal element production.

Main Methods:

• Sensory profiling was employed to assess the organoleptic qualities of the fish portions.
• Chemical analyses were conducted to identify indicators of spoilage.
• Slow thawing and subsequent chilled storage were implemented to simulate commercial conditions.

Main Results:

• Cod portions maintained high sensory quality for 6 days under chilled storage after freeze-chilling.
• Rainbow trout portions retained high sensory quality for 10 days under chilled storage.
• Post-storage, sensory quality declined, accompanied by an increase in chemical spoilage indicators.

Conclusions:

• Freeze-chilling provides consistent quality and a practical high-quality shelf life for fish meal elements.
• Cod and rainbow trout demonstrate potential as suitable candidates for freeze-chilled meal element applications.
• The findings support the industrial application of freeze-chilling for extending the availability of fish-based meal components.