Texture and Quality Assessment of Ready-to-eat Farmed Obscure Puffer Fish (Takifugu obscurus) Fillet by Evaluating Bacterial and Myofibrillar Degradation and Biochemical Changes during Refrigerated Storage

ABSTRACT

Obscure puffer fish (Takifugu obscurus) flesh, often eaten as raw fish fillet, is susceptible to softening. To investigate the mechanisms for the softening of flesh and changes in firmness, the proliferation of total microbial flora, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp., and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), trimethylamine (TMA), and pH were periodically assayed during storage at 0, 4, and 8ºC. Myofibril extraction and separation of puffer fish flesh was carried out and the length of the separated myofibrils was measured periodically using an optical microscope during the entire storage time. Transmission electron microscopy was also used to inspect the changes in myofibrillar characteristics of the fish flesh at the beginning and end of the storage period. The results indicated that lower chilled temperature can contribute to reduced proliferation of microbial flora and less variation in TVBN, TMA, and pH and further maintain the integrity of myofibrils and retain firmness of puffer fish flesh during storage.