EVALUATION OF BIOGENIC AMINE DEVELOPMENT OF ANCHOVY (Engraulis encrasicolus) MUSCLE COMPARED TO ITS QUALITY CHANGES AT DIFFERENT CHILLING CONDITIONS

This study investigates biogenic amine development (BA) vs. sensory, chemical and microbiological quality loss of anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) at three dif­ferent chilled storage conditions which are commonly applied for fresh market and/storage prior to pro­cessing. The contents of BAs and sensory, chemical and microbiological quality parameters of anchovy were analysed daily during storage. Significant varia­tions occurred (p<0.05) in the sensory, chemical and microbiological values among the storage groups. The highest shelf-life was found as 8 days for samples kept in chilled freshwater. Water- ice mix application re­sulted in lower TBA content indicating beneficial effect on its quality. Histamine results closely supported sen­sory values in terms of legally permitted levels set by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Histamine forming bacteria counts supported the formation of his­tamine in most groups while total bacteria counts were in agreement with s ensory results in terms of accepta­bility. Moreover, some existing formulated indexes cre­ated from various BA levels were not found suitable to estimate spoilage degree of anchovy kept at these con­ditions. This study suggests that using ice and water-ice mix can improve shelf-life of anchovy stored at refrig­erated temperatures in terms of food quality and safety. The results of this study can be used to guide seafood industry for testing fresh anchovy quality and safety at different chilled conditions.