Effect of previous slurry ice treatment on the quality of cooked sardine (Sardina pilchardus)

The use of slurry ice was evaluated as a technological treatment prior to cooking processing of fish. Thus, sardine (Sardina pilchardus) was stored in slurry ice for 2, 5 and 8 days. At such times, sardine specimens were taken and subjected to steam cooking, and the results were compared with those from a parallel control batch previously stored in flake ice. Quality assessment of lipid damage in cooked fish was performed by measuring the formation of free fatty acids, peroxides, thiobarbituric acidreactive substances and interaction compounds. The volatile amines –total and trimethylamine– assessment was also carried out. A significant (p<0.05) inhibition of lipid damage –peroxides and fluorescent compounds assessment– and trimethylamine formation was observed in cooked sardine as a consequence of the preliminary treatment in slurry ice. This work opens the way to the use of slurry ice as a preliminary treatment of fish material prior to its thermal processing. Running title: Slurry ice and cooked sardine quality