| Abstract: | This study investigated effects of bleeding or dressing, freezing at sea in refrigerated brine, coil refrigeration or air blast systems, and vacuum packaging on albacore quality. Analytical procedures at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months determined aerobic plate counts, flesh pH, salt, dimethylamine nitrogen (DMA-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and nucleotides. Sensory evaluation at 9 months storage suggested that processing at sea many improve flesh appearance. No significant differences were evident in microbial or chemical indices between handling, freezing or packaging treatments. DMA-N increased only slightly during frozen storage. |
