Effectiveness of a natural Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extract on the stability of filleted and minced fish during frozen storage

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding a natural Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract to filleted and minced frozen fish and to compare the fat stability of the samples with that of the controls. Horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), a relatively fatty fish, and Mediterranean hake (Merluccius mediterraneus), a low-fat fish, were used. Fat stability evaluation was done by comparing the changes of the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) degradation that occurred during frozen storage at –18°C for 120 days. Total volatile bases-N (TVB-N) were also measured to assess for quality. The results showed that the natural antioxidant extract retarded the oxidation process throughout storage. The control samples of both filleted and minced frozen fish of both species showed a significant reduction (* P <0.05) of PUFAs until day 50 of storage, while the oxidation was gradual but slower in the treated samples. Fillets and minced samples of both species treated with antioxidant contained significantly (* P <0.05) less MDA compared with the controls during storage.