Exploration of changes in sensory, physicochemical properties and microbial metabolic activities of grass carp meat with five thermal processing treatments during refrigerated storage

Abstract

This study aimed to employed the effects of five thermal processing methods, namely steaming (SM), boiling (BO), frying (FY), roasting (RO), and vacuum sealing (SV), on the sensory, physicochemical properties, and microbial composition of grass carp meat during refrigerated storage, alongside unheated raw meat (RW) as control. The results showed that thermal treatment improved the sensory quality and shelf life of refrigerated grass carp meat, and their shelf life was RW < BO<SM < SV < RO < FY. The moisture content of fish meat decreased significantly with the extension of storage time, the color turned yellow and darkened significantly, and the hardness and chewiness also decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The TVB-N and TBARS suggested that thermal processing could delay the fish meat spoilage. The relative content of saturated fatty acids gradually increased with the extension of refrigeration time, while the relative content of polyunsaturated fats gradually decreased. The diversity and abundance of bacterial flora of grass carp meat from different thermal processing treatments gradually decreased during refrigerated storage, and the Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Exiguobacterium gradually became the dominant microbe. This study provides theoretical basis for people's choice of daily cooking methods.

Keywords

• Grass carp
• Thermal processing
• Refrigeration
• Microbial metabolism
• Correlation analysis