Processing Method Effect on Texture, Color, and Microbial Load of Channel Catfish Fillets

Abstract

Catfish shelf life depends largely on post-harvest handling and storage conditions. Three methods of processing catfish fillets were studied to evaluate quality and shelf life. In one method catfish were hand-dressed, chilled in water at 0°C, and hand-filleted (HC). In the other methods, catfish were mechanically filleted and chilled immediately (MC) or held unchilled for one hour at 18°C prior to chilling (MU). All fillets were stored in HDPE bags at 2°C for analyses at 0, 3, 6, and 9 d. Shear force for MC and MU fillets decreased (P ≤ 0.05) to the same levels as HC fillets after 3 d storage. HC fillets had higher (P ≤ 0.05) ‘L’ and ‘b’ and lower ‘a’ values than MU or MC fillets throughout storage. Initial psychrotrophic counts (PPC) were lower (P ≤ 0.05) for MC (3.9 log CFU/g) and MU (4.1 log CFU/g) than for HC fillets (5.2 log CFU/g). The PPC increased (P ≤ 0.05) after 3 and 6 d in HC and MU fillets, respectively. Coliform growth showed similar patterns as PPC. Spoilage levels indicated a doubling in shelf life of machine-cut fillets (∼8 d) as compared to hand-cut fillets (∼4 d).