The effect of preprocess holding conditions (3 and 12% brine at 7.2 and 0.6"C) on the quality of canned sardines (Clupea harengus) was examined. The sardines appeared to have a relatively short shelf life and had to be canned within 36 hr when lightly salted (3% brine) and held at 7.2"C. At a lower temperature (0.6"C) and a higher salt concentration (12% brine) the sardines could be held up to 3 days. Low viable bacterial counts detected during storage experiments indicated spoilage not to be primarily due to bacterial activity. Sensory evaluation of the raw sardines could not be used with any accuracy to predict quality of the canned product, because raw sardines, which were still considered acceptable before canning, resulted in an unacceptable product. Of the objective quality tests performed on raw sardines (TMA, TBA, tyrosine and pH) only TMA-N content appeared to possess high accuracy (P 4 0.001) in predicting quality of the canned products.