Sensory, Chemical, and Microbiological Assessments of Moroccan Sardines (Sardina pilchardus) Stored in Ice

Abstract

Sensory, chemical, and microbiological analyses were carried out on sardines during 18 d of storage in ice. Sensory results indicate that the sardines used in this experiment had a shelf life of 9 d. The pH and dimethylamine (DMA) were found to be useless in determining the degree of sardine deterioration, while trimethylamine (TMA) and total volatile bases (TVB) were accurate in predicting the spoilage process. Histamine production was slowed by refrigeration in ice (2–4°C). The amounts of histamine in flesh at the time of rejection (12th day of storage) were 11.7 and 16.2 mg/100 g of flesh, respectively, with the colorimetric method and the fluorimetric method. At the end of the experiment (highly spoiled sardines), the critical value of histamine (20 mg/100 g) was not reached. However, at the 12th d of storage, the count of all microflora studied was above the limit of 106 CFU/g of flesh.