Summary:
Farmed arctic char were divided into two groups after slaughtering. One group (T1) was stored in ice up to 18 d and the other (T2) was stored at 18 ° C for 24 h (temperature increased from 3 ° C up to 12 ° C), then iced and stored up to 18 d . Changes during storage were observed with sensory evaluation using the Quality Index Method (QIM) and Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA), total viable counts (TVC), and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) -producing bacteria. A high correlation between Quality Index (QI) and storage time in ice was found. Storage time could be predicted within ± 1.3 d. The maximum shelf life, determined with QDA and microbial counts, was 17 and 15 d, respectively, for iced (T1) and temperature-abused (T2) arctic char. At the end of shelf life, TVC was 105–106 CFU / g in the flesh of both groups, with H2S producing bacteria constituting a higher proportion of TVC in T2.