Factors influencing storage &

shelf life of fresh fish

Quality and safety issues in fish handling
-----
A course in quality and safety management in
fishery harbours in Sri Lanka
NARA, DFAR, ICEIDA and UNU-FTP

Department of Fisheries and National Aquatic Resources Research United Nations University Fisheries Icelandic International
Aquatic Resources (DFAR) and Development Agency (NARA) Training Programme (UNU-FTP) Development Agency (ICEIDA)
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Iceland Iceland
 Content

• What is shelf life

• Factors affecting shelf life
• How to determine shelf life
 Learning Objectives

After this lecture participants will be familiar

with:
• Shelf life and factors affecting shelflife of fish raw
materials.
• some monitoring method to determine shelf life of
fish
 Shelf life

• Shelf life can be defined as the period of time that the fish is
fit for consumption

• The limit of shelf life i.e. when the fish becomes unfit for
consumption can be determined based on sensory, chemical or
microbial criteria

• Time and temperature of storage can also be used as criteria to

determine the limit of shelf life

• Quality parameter rather than a safety parameter

 Factors affecting shelf life of fish

• Composition
• Method of catching
• Post harvest treatment
• Processing (e.g. freezing, drying)
 Intrinsic factors
Biological properties influence fish composition
and shelf life

• Larger fish spoil more slowly than small fish.

• Flat fish keep better than round fish
• Lean fish keep longer than fatty fish under aerobic storage.
• Bony fish are edible longer than cartilaginous fish.
Factors affecting composition of fish
Season Spawning (fat content & water)
Age Young, sexually mature fish

Sex Female & male

Environment Feed, water temperature

Body location Light & dark muscles

Type of fish Sharks, Ray fish contain high
urea
Pelagic & demersal fish
Method of catching
– Long line
– Trawl net
– Gill net
– Beach seine

 Quick landing
 Not damaging to fish
 Post-harvest treatment

• Handling on board
Proper bleeding, gutting, cleaning

• - Rate of chilling (especially fatty fish) & temperature

control

• GMP, hygiene, SSOP

• Packaging, storage & environmental conditions

• Unloading & auctioning

• Loading, transportation, retail sales & processing

 Time from the harvest

Fish should reach the end consumer in minimum time

Prolonged time lower the sensory quality of fish

 Microbiological quality of fish

Number of unacceptable lots (out of nine) of skipjack tuna transported

from Beruwala fishery harbour to Matugama & Horana.
(Ganegamarachchi, et al 2002)
Fluctuation of core temperature in skipjack tuna handled at
different time periods along the Mathugama distribution

(Ganegamarachchi, et al 2002)
E. coli counts of skinned skipjack tuna in
multi-day boats, at pier, in transport
vehicles, at stall and at retailed stage

(Ganegamarachchi, et al 2002)
Post harvest processing influences water activity and
the rate of spoilage changes

Water activity aw
Fresh fish aW 0.9
Dried fish aW 0.3
Frozen fish aW 0.7

Water activity Shelf life

 Handling on-board
1. Quick landing

2. Stunning, brain spiking, bleeding

3. Gilling & gutting

4. Place in a chilling system for quick cooling

5. Transfer to ice storage

Rate of chilling & temperature control

Rate of chilling Shelf life

Variation of Shelf life with temperature

0C 5C 10 C

shelf life RRS shelf life RRS shelf life RRS

Crab claw 10.1 1 5.5 1.8 2.6 3.9
Salmon 11.8 1 8.0 1.5 3.0 3.9
Sea bream 32.0 1 - - 8.0 4.0

Packed cod 14 .0 1 6.0 2.3 3.0 4.7

Calculated 1 2.3 4.0

RRS: Relative rate of spoilage

H.H.Huss, 1995
Packaging methods
for prolonging shelf life

Vacuum Packing
Modified atmospheric packaging

Mechanical gas flushing

and sealing with fish fillets
 Effect of packaging on the shelf life
Type of Product Storage Shelf life (weeks)
temp.
Air VP MAP
Meat (beef, pork, poultry) 1.0 - 4.4°C 1-3 1 - 12 3 - 21

Lean fish (cod, pollock, 0.0 - 4.0°C 1-2 1-2 1-3

rockfish, trevally)
Fatty fish (herring, salmon, 0.0 - 4.0°C 1-2 1-2 1-3
trout)
Shellfish (crabs, scampi, 0.0 - 4.0°C ½-2 - ½-3
scallops)
Warmwater fish (sheepshead, 2.0 - 4.0°C ½-2 - 2-4
swordfish, tilapia)

Huss 1995
 Effect of transportation on
shelf life of fish

• Proper packing & storage

• Use of boxes
• Adequate icing & cooling
• Hygienic conditions
 Methods to determine shelf life
• Sensory evaluation
– Torry or EU scheme for cooked fish, Quality Index Method (QIM)
for raw/whole fish

• Chemical analyses
– Unfit for consumption when for instance TVB-N, TMA, biogenic
amines have reached a certain level.

• Microbiological analyses
– Unfit for consumption when TVC > 107- 108 cfu/g (in fish muscle)

• Time and temperature history

 Sensory analysis (Torry scheme)
Influence of different temperature during
storage (0°C, 7°C and 15°C) on the shelflife
of haddock fillets
10
Sensory
rejection 9
Torry =5,5 8

6
Torry score

3
15° 7°C 0°C
2 C
1

0
-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13
Catch Process Days

Adapted from: Olafsdottir et al., 2006

 Chemical and microbial analysis
Haddock fillets stored at 0°C, 7°C and 15°C
TVC (total viable counts) and
TVB-N
Photobacterium phosphoreum (Pp)
(Total volatile basic nitrogen)
100 10

15°C 7°C
7°C 0°C
80 8
TVB-N mg N/100g

60 6

Log cfu/g
15°C 0°C
TVC-0°C
40 4 Pp-0°C
TVC-7°C
Pp-7°C
20 2
TVC-15°C
Pp-15°C

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Days of storage (haddock fillets) Days of storage (haddock fillets)

Adapted from: Olafsdottir et al., 2006

 Quality parameter Description Score

Skin Colour/ Bright, iridescent pigmentation 0

QIM-scheme appearanceRather dull, becoming discoloured (head) 1
for Sea bass Green, yellowish, mainly near the abdomen 2
Odour Fresh seaweedy, neutral 0
Cucumber, metal, hey 1
Sour, dish cloth 2
Rotten 3
Texture In rigor 0
Finger mark disappears rapidly 1
Finger leaves mark over 3 seconds 2
Eyes Pupils Clear and black, metal shiny 0
Grey 1
Mat, grey 2
Form Convex 0
Flat 1
Sunken 2
Gills Colour Blood red/orange 0
Pale red, pink/light brown 1
Grey-brown, brown, grey 2
Mucus Transparent 0
Milky, clotted 1
Brown, clotted 2
Odour Fresh, seaweed, neutral 0
Metal, grass 1
Sour, mouldy,dish cloth 2
Rotten 3
Flesh, fillets
Colour Translucent, bluish 0
Waxy, milky 1
Opaque, yellow, brown spots 2
Viscera Solution Whole 0
Beginning to dissolve 1
Viscera dissolved 2
Quality Index 0-22
Changes in sensory attributes during storage

Eyes are clear Gills have

and concave characteristic, red
colour, mucus
absent

Eyes are Gills are discoloured

cloudy, sunken with excessive
mucus
 A curve to predict the storage time
remaining for herring stored in ice or sea
water at 0°C
 References
• Huss, H.H. (ed). 1995. Quality and quality changes in fresh fish (chapter
6). FAO Fisheries Technical, Rome, FAO.
• Olafsdottir G, Lauzon H, Martinsdottir E, Kristbergsson K. 2006. Influence
of storage temperature on microbial spoilage characteristics of haddock
fillets (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) evaluated by multivariate quality
prediction. Int. J Food Microbiol.111, 112–125.
• E. Martinsdóttir  2002. Quality management of stored fish in "Safety and
quality issues in fish processing, Bremner, A. ed. Woodhead Publishing Ltd..
303-313.
• Training material from UNU-FTP/Icelandic Fisheries Laboratories
Shewan, J.M., Macintosh, R.G., Tucker, C.G., Ehrenberg, A.S.C., 1953. The
development of a numeric scoring system for the sensory assessment of the
spoilage of wet white fish stored in ice. Journal of the Science of Food and
Agriculture 4, 283-298.
• Ganegama Arachchi, G.J. Kariyawasam, M.G.I.U., Heenatigala, P.P.M.
Ariyaratne, T. Dahanayeka, T. and Jayasinghe, J.M.P.K. (2004) An
investigation on the quality and handling practices of skipjack tuna
(Katsuwonus pelamis) along the main commercial distribution channels of
beruwala fishery harbour. Sri Lanka J. Aquat. Sci. 9: 109-121
• K.W.S. Ariyawansa, D.N. Wijendra, S.P.S.D Senadeheera 2003. Quality Index
Method developed for Frigate tuna (Auxis thasard). Sri land J. Aquat. Sci.,
8:95-109