Study on Textural, Microbial and Sensory Quality of Blast Frozen Pangasius Fish Fillets Under Frozen Storage

Abstract

Pangasius fish is one of the rapid growing fresh water species in aquaculture. This study was aimed to assess the microbial number, physical quality and sensory evaluation of the Pangasius fish fillets from Nepal. Pangasius fish were collected from Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts, fillets were prepared and blast frozen simultaneously. The microbial number decreased rapidly during storage in frozen condition while Staphlylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (which were present initially in fillets) disappeared during storage. The sensory panellists preferred air blast frozen fillets stored for one month than stored for two months. Different parts of the fish body showed different textural properties. Hardness was increased during second month of storage while other textural properties were found satisfactory in first month of storage in frozen condition. This study showed that sensory qualities of air blast frozen Pangasius fish fillets changes with time even in frozen storage.