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This experiment deals with the e¡ects of pre-slaughter stress and storage temperature on muscle pH, ¢llet contraction, colour and texture in pre-rigor ¢lleted farmed cod ¢llets. The ¢sh were either sedated with a low dose of MS-222 (14.3 mg L À 1 ) (unstressed groups) or exposed to the air for 3 min (stressed groups) before being submerged in a benzocaine bath (150 g L À1 ). The ¢sh were then killed by a blow to the head, their gills cut, ¢lleted and ¢nally stored at either 4 or 20 1C. The stressed groups had signi¢cantly lower pH values after slaughter (pH 5 7.0) than the unstressed groups (pH 5 7.3). This di¡erence was maintained until post rigor for the ¢sh stored at 4 1C, but at 20 1C it was immediately overshadowed by a decrease in pH caused by temperature-dependent processes. The length contraction and changes in registered colour values were more pronounced at both the higher temperature and the higher level of pre-slaughter stress. Again temperature dominated, but signi¢cant and consistent effects were registered from stress. No signi¢cant e¡ects of stress on texture post rigor were observed. It is concluded that high storage temperature masks the majority of e¡ects caused by pre-slaughter stress on the measured variables. Stress management protocols, however, are important when the ¢llets are kept at the common storage temperature of 4 1C.

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