Quality assessement of ice stored fish caught in fresh- water, in Pelotas region, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Abstract

Samples of "corvina", Micropogonias opercularis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824), "tainha", Mugil platanus (Günther, 1880), and "bagre", Netuma barba (Lacépí­¨de, 1803), caught from Lagoa dos Patos, a fresh water lagoon in the area of Pelotas, 31°S to 33°S and 51°W to 52°W, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, were stored in ordinary crushed ice till deterioration. In this period of time, the samples were organoleptically tested and the total volatile bases were determined in order to find indices for the freshness assessment. At all events, the organoleptic scores varied according to the spoilage development. The grades of total volatile bases and the global plate count of bacteria, however, did not show, in all essays, the extent of the spoilage.