A Comparative Study of Microwave and Sous-Vide Cooking Effects on Pikeperch Fillets’ Fatty Acid Composition and Quality Attributes

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of microwave and sous-vide cooking on chemical composition, including fatty acid composition, colour, and microbial and eating quality of fillets produced from wild-living pikeperch. Skinned fillets were sous-vide (SV)-cooked at 65 °C for 40 min. or cooked in a microwave oven (M) at 539 W for 3 min. Generally, cooking decreased moisture and increased protein contents in SV and M, and increased fat content in SV. Cooking increased lightness and yellowness while decreasing redness of fillets, but there were no differences between SV and M. SV fillets showed a significantly higher cooking loss than M samples. SV and M samples showed a similarly high sensory and microbial quality, although microwave cooking was more effective in total viable bacteria counts reduction. Similar fatty acid proportions and concentrations were noted in M and SV fillets, suggesting that both methods preserved well fatty acids in pikeperch meat tissue.