Effects of high-voltage electrostatic fields on the quality of tilapia meat during refrigeration.

Abstract

Fresh fish is typically brought to market refrigerated at approximately 4 °C, R-storage. A storage method has been devised that combines refrigeration with a high-voltage electrostatic field (100 kV/m; E-storage). It was developed to improve the quality and prolong the shelf life of foods. This study investigated changes in the freshness of tilapia meat under E-storage conditions. The total viable count of tilapia reached 10⁷ CFU/g on the 7th d of refrigeration in R-storage. By the 6th d, K-value had increased from 20% to 61.7% for E-storage and to 94.7% for R-storage. Volatile basic nitrogen had increased from 12.54 mg/100 g to about 24.34 and 25.03 mg/100 g for R- and E-storage (on the 7th and 10th d), respectively. The sensory assessment also indicated that E-storage yielded an improvement in quality over that of R-storage. Practical application of the study model has the potential to prolong the freshness of fish.