Spoilage of king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fillets stored under different atmospheres

King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) packaged in air (AIR), nitrogen (N2), or 40:60 carbon dioxide:nitrogen (CO2N2) was stored (0 degreesC for 18,25, and 54 d, respectively. Air packs (AIR9) were also stored at 9 degreesC for 4 d. A quality index (QI) method was developed to monitor sensory quality of cooked salmon. First detection of spoilage was 1.5, 15, 15, and 21 d for AIR9, AIR, N2, and CO2N2 treatments respectively. Total aerobic and sulfide-producing bacteria, pH, drip loss, E-h, color, texture, ATP derivatives, trimethylamine, total volatile base nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid numbers, and peroxide values were determined. Only total aerobic counts and hypoxanthine were indicators of sensory deterioration across treatments and times.