DETERMINATION OF THE QUALITY AND SHELF LIFE OF SOUS VIDE PACKAGED BONITO (SARDA SARDA, BLOCH, 1793) STORED AT 4 AND 12C

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine the quality and shelf life of sous vide bonito stored at 4 and 12C. The total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values of cold stored samples exceeded the recommended limit on 35th day of storage, while they were unacceptable according to sensory scores. The TVB-N and trimethylamine-N values of sous vide samples stored at 12C exceeded the limits at the 18th day, while sensory scores were very close to the acceptability limit. For all samples, mesophilic and psychrophilic bacterial counts exceeded the limits after they were regarded as spoiled. Therefore, the shelf life of the sous vide bonito, cooked at 70C for 10 min, was 28 days at 4C while 15 days at 12C. It was seen that sous vide packaging provided a long shelf life for bonito. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Sous vide is a long established but relatively little known cooking process. The data regarding the effect of storage temperature on shelf life and quality of sous vide fish are very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the sensory, microbiological and chemical quality of sous vides packaged bonito during refrigerated storage (4 ± 1C) and abuse temperature conditions (12 ± 1C). The results of this study can be utilized by researchers in future studies as well as by manufacturers to determine the processing and storage conditions of sous vide fish.