The variations of biochemical, structural, sensory and microbiological characteristics of
salmon were examined during the long-term frozen storage at 25 C, e45 C and 60 C.
The effects of four different types of packaging materials were studied as well. Lipid
oxidation was measured by peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances
(TBARS). After 1 year of storage at 25 C, the concentration of PV in red and white fish
muscles increased from 1.26 to 1.82, and from 1.08 to 1.76, respectively. Formation of
TBARS was higher in the red muscles than in the white, and reached a value of 14.04 (mg
malondialdehyde (MDA) kg1 of fish) after 1 year of storage at 25 C. Decreasing the
temperature to 45 C inhibited PV and TBARS formation, but the use of the best packaging
materials gave equally good results at 25 C.
The concentrations of oxidation products were quite low for the storage conditions
examined, which was reflected by the sensory analyses. The sensory analyses showed that
salmon stored for 1 year at25 Cmaintained a level of quality comparablewith fresh salmon.
The colour alteration was affected by the storage time. The storage at 60 C reduced
drip loss (2.0% from total mass) when compared with those of the higher storage temperatures,
but other quality improvements were not significant.