Shelf life modelling of tilapia in the cold chain

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on quality characteristics and establish models to predict the shelf life of tilapia in the cold chain. The quality indices were determined at different temperatures that based on a real cold chain. The results showed that the values of pH and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were less dependent on temperature. Sensory scores and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values increased with storage time and were modelled with apparent first order equations. The applicability of model was verified in the cold chain.