The combined effect of superchilling and tea polyphenols on the preservation quality of hairtails was assessed in terms of pH, electrical conductivity, K value, TVB-N, TBARS, total plate count, and sensory assessment. Hairtail blocks were subjected to three treatments: frozen at −18°C, superchilling at −3°C, and superchilling at −3°C after immersed in a 6.0 g/L tea polyphenols solution, respectively. For storage of 30 days, the TBARS value of hairtails increased steadily from 0.41 mg/100 g to 1.83, 1.38, 1.14 mg/100 g (p < 0.05) in the samples that were superchilled at −3°C, frozen at −18°C, and superchilled at −3°C with tea polyphenols, respectively. The TVB-N, microbial growth, electrical conductivity, and K values also exhibited an increasing trend (p < 0.05), similar to that obtained with the TBARS values, whereas the stability of sensory scores decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with superchilling samples, all these quality indicators have been improved in combined treated samples. Indicators such as pH, TVBN, and TBARS in combined treated samples even showed better results than those in frozen samples. These results suggested that superchilling with tea polyphenols provided an effective approach for inhibiting lipid oxidation and microbial growth, retarding the deterioration, and maintaining the inherent and fresh quality of hairtails.
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