The present research evaluated the effects of tea polyphenol (TP) combined with ozone water (O-3) on the quality of black sea bream (Sparus macrocephalus) over a period of 15 days storage at 4 degrees C. A solution of TP (0.2%, w/v) was used to coat the fish after washing with ozone water (1 mg/L). Fish physicochemical (pH, K value, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid, total volatile basic nitrogen, trimethylamine, texture, and colour), sensory, and bacteriological characteristics were all analysed. TP + O-3 treatment effectively reduced nucleotide breakdown, lipid oxidation, protein decomposition, and microbial growth, and maintained better characteristics of texture, colour, and sensory compared with the control. The efficiency of TP + O-3 treatment was also better than that of TP treatment or O-3 treatment alone. Therefore, tea polyphenol coating combined with ozone water prewashing may be a promising method of maintaining the storage quality of black sea bream and of extending fish post-mortem shelf-life during 4 degrees C storage. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.