Damage detection in horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) during chilled storage

Sensory and chemical analyses were performed during the chilled storage of whole and filleted horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), an underutilized medium-fat fish species. For both kinds of fish products, satisfactory correlations with the storage time were obtained for amino formation (total volatile base-nitrogen and trimethylamine-nitrogen), lipid damage (free fatty acid formation), and formation of interaction compounds (fluorescence detection in the aqueous phase). Sensory analyses showed a gradual lower grading with time, with a shelf life of 14 d for whole-fish samples and 12 d for fillet samples. Correlation and multivariate analyses between the sensory attributes and the chemical indices showed that trimethylamine-nitrogen detection was the most accurate chemical method for damage assessment during the chilled storage of whole and filleted horse mackerel.