Shelf-life Study of Pickle-Salted Channa striatus, Channa punctatus and Mystus tengra during refrigeration (40C) storage

This study evaluated shelf-life quality of pickle salted three different fishes; C. striatus (Shol), C. punctatus (Taki) and M. tengra (Tengra) by analyzed their biochemical composition, sensory evaluation and bacteriological load during storage at refrigeration temperature (4°C). There was a general decline in sensory score of these three pickle-salted fish products during storage. The initial value of moisture, TVB-N, pH, FFA, SPC and HBC of freshly processed pickle-salted C. striatus was 50.29%, 5.28 mgN/100gm, 6.4, 1.3%, 3.6×10³ and 4.1×10² ; C. punctatus was 52.71% 3.79 mgN/100gm, 6.6, 2.4%, 3.0×10⁴ and 3.3×10³ and M. tengra was 45.88% 4.92 mgN/100gm, 6.0, 3.2%, 1.2×10⁴ and 1.4×10³ respectively. But, with the laps of storage period, these values increased significantly. Among these three pickle-salted fish products, C. striatus became spoiled at the end of 22 month whereas C. punctatus and M. tengra still remain in good condition. The shelf-life of pickle-salted C. punctatus and M. tengra fish product was 24 month and 28 month respectively. No yeast or mould was detected in these three pickle-salted fish products. Therefore, it can be inferred that pickle salted C. striatus, C. punctatus and M. tengra fish products have long shelf life when they are stored at refrigeration temperature (4°C) and among these three fishes, pickle salted M. tengra fish product has highest shelf life.