Organoleptic, Chemical and Microbiological Changes in European Eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) During Storage: Skinned vs. Unskinned Fish held at 2C and 5C

Studies were undertaken to examine quality deterioration in stored skinned and unskinned fresh eels derived from a commercial recirculation facility. Fish samples were held at 2 and 5T for 18 days and examined sensorially, chemically and microbiologically. Oil content of experimental animals averaged 39.1%, that for dry matter was 47.8% and 12.1% and 0.69% for protein and ash content respectively. Trimethylamine-oxide (TMA-0) and trimethylamine (TMA) levels remained below detection limits(< 0.7 mg N 100 g-1 throughout the study. Shelf life was extended for both skinned and unskinned fish at the lowest temperature. By day 14 of the trial, differences (P < 0.05) were detected by sensorial evaluation for both temperatures evaluated and between skinned and unskinned animals. Increases (P < 0.05) were detected for TVB-N throughout storage with fish held at 5°C expressing higher levels (P < 0.05). Sample lipid oxidation increased throughout the study period. TBA was determined as a suitable variable for predicting overall impression of product quality. K1 value illustrated significant (P < 0.0001; R2 0.72) polynomial correlation with overall impression.