Sensory, physical, chemical and microbiological changes in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fillets packed under modified atmosphere/air or prepared from whole fish stored in ice

Quality changes and shelf-life in European sea bass fillets packed under 40% CO2: 60% N-2 (MAP) and air (AIR) or prepared from the whole ungutted fish stored in ice (ROUND) were compared. Raw and cooked sensory scores, pH, colour, expressible water, malonaldehyde, total viable count, Pseudomonas spp., H2S-producing bacteria, Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., coliforms and proteolytic counts, were determined until AIR and MAP raw fillet spoilage. Raw ROUND fillets had the best quality and shelf-life (10 vs. 8 vs. 7 days after slaughtering in ROUND, MAP and AIR, respectively), while the MAP fillets had better sensorial scores, lower pH values and better microbiological counts, but greater lightness values than the corresponding AIR fillets. MAP fillets also had the highest malonaldehyde levels. The higher correlation between Streptococcus spp. and odour scores (r = -0.971, P < 0.01) compared to the other species could suggest that it is a specific spoilage organism in the MAP condition used.