Developing of Quality Index Method for streaked prochilod (Prochilodus lineatus)

• Grant number: 13/19531-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Judite das Graças Lapa Guimarães
• Grantee: Carolina Franchi Ruiz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The fish consumption is growing due to the increasing concern of the population with healthier habits. However, fish is a highly perishable food, hindering the preservation of its quality during the commercialization. As a consequence, freshness is one of the most valuable characteristics of fish. For decades the sensory evaluation has been considered the most satisfactory technique to determine the freshness of fish and fish products, but recently sensory evaluation has even greater importance, since it is the only method that consumers can apply to measure the fish quality. The Quality Index Method (QIM) is a species-specific sensory technique that has been used successfully for assessment of fish quality. The aim of this methodology is to obtain a linear correlation between the sensory quality expressed by the sum of demerit points (IQ) and the time of ice storage, making possible to predict the fish shelf-life. This study aims to investigate the process of spoilage and develop a QIM scheme for streaked prochilod (Prochilodus lineatus), a freshwater fish with high availability in Brazilian rivers and increasing production in aquaculture. Batches of streaked prochilod will be stored in ice up to 3 weeks and periodically evaluated by trained judges for QIM development. Additionally, fish samples will be evaluated by physical, chemical and microbial analysis. (AU)