Summary:
The aim was to develop a Quality Index Method (QIM) scheme for fresh tilapia fillets and evaluate the scheme in a shelf life study. Farmed tilapia fillets were stored at 1 and −1 ° C for up to 20 days, and changes during storage were observed with sensory evaluation using the QIM scheme and General Descriptive Analysis (GDA), total viable counts (TVC), and hydrogen sulphide ( H2S) producing bacteria. The maximum shelf life of fillets stored at1 and −1 ° C was determined with GDA and microbial counts as 16 and 19 days, respectively. A high correlation of R2 = 0.943 between Quality Index (QI) and storage time at 1C ° was found to be 0.843 at −1 ° C. At the end of shelf life, the QI was 5.3 and 6.5 out of a maximum score of 15 for fillets stored at 1 and −1 ° C, respectively. Total viable counts and H2S-producing bacteria showed an increasing trend during storage time for both groups. At the end of shelf life, TVC was log 7 cfu / g in the flesh of both groups, with H2S producing bacteria constituting a higher proportion (log 6 cfu / g) of the total. The scheme was modified at the end of the study to better characterize deskinned farmed tilapia fillets.