POSTMORTEM CHANGES IN QUALITY INDICES OF ICE-STORED FLOUNDER (PARALICHTHYS PATAGONICUS)

The characteristics of flounder (Paralichthys patagonicus) were evaluated during a 12‐day period of storage in ice by monitoring the biochemical, microbiological and sensory parameters. The adenosine‐5′‐triphosphate and adenosine‐5′‐diphosphate were not detected, and the initial content of adenosine‐5′‐monophosphate (AMP) rapidly decreased to zero. Inosine‐5′‐monophosphate (IMP) but not adenosine (Ado) was present in muscle extracts. The AMP deaminase activity was found in the muscle. Conversely, the Ado deaminase activity was not detected. A 55% decrease in IMP concentration occurred during the first 2 days of storage. The inosine content was barely detectable (<0.1 μmol/g), probably because of the high nucleoside phosphorylase activity in the muscle. Hypoxanthine significantly (P < 0.01) increased up to the seventh day and then remained approximately constant. The muscle pH fluctuated between 6.6 and 7.0. The iced flounder was microbiologically acceptable for up to 7 days with aerobic plate counts reaching <10⁷ cfu/g. The sensory score, determined by the Quality Index Method, linearly increased (r² = 0.96) with the keeping time. All the parameters, including the K‐value, indicated that the shelf life of iced flounder was 7 days.