Quality assessment of differently treated mackerel (<i>Scomber scombrus</i>)

Abstract

The quality assessment of differently treated mackerel (Scomber scombrus), sourced from commercial cold storage facilities in Owerri, was carried out using 1kg of fish each of the treatments – T₁, T₂, T₃, and T,sub>4 for the brined, salted, marinade, and control (not treated) respectively. The keeping qualities of the differently treated fishes were evaluated on 2-day intervals using a 5-man test panel that assessed them organoleptically. The brined mackerel recorded acceptable level of freshness up to the 14^th day of observation, while the salted product was acceptable up to the 12^th day. The cold marinade product on the other hand, lost almost all observable characteristics of freshness by the second day. The control however did not last up to the next day, before spoilage manifested. The different preservation techniques were therefore observed to have varying effects on the keeping quality of mackerel (Scomber scombrus), with brining and salting being the most preferred.

Keywords: mackerel, spoilage, brining, marinade, organoleptic assessment, keeping quality

Animal Production Research Advances Vol. 1(2) 2005: 93-96