Turbot Fillet Sections Cooked by Microwave and Conventional Heating Methods: Objective and Sensory Evaluation

Greenland turbot fillet sections were baked in conventional and microwave ovens. The microwave oven cooked the fish faster, required less energy, and demonstrated greater relative efficiency than did the conventional oven. Solid-drip and total cooking losses were greater and Kramer shear values and evaporative loss were lower for microwave-heated fish. No differences in sensory flakiness and moisture were found between oven treatments, but microwave-heated samples were rated softer and less chewy by a trained panel. Several significant correlations were found among sensory attributes and objective measures of quality. A 39-member consumer panel indicated no differences in acceptability of turbot heated by the two cooking methods.