Evaluation of the quality characteristics of chilled tilapia fillets subjected to different levels of pre-slaughter stress
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2025v46n5p1389Keywords:
Fillet, Fish stress, Oreochromis niloticus, Processing.Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three stress levels, minimal (MS), short-term (SS), and long-term (LS), on the quality of Nile tilapia fillets during refrigerated storage. In the MS treatment, fish were maintained at a density of 60 kg m-³ for 24 hr, whereas in the SS and LS treatments, fish were kept at a density of 300 kg m-³ for 1 hr (SS) or 24 hr (LS), respectively. Serum cortisol levels were measured, and meat pH, color, and tenderness were assessed for 10 fish per treatment 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 post-mortem days. The highest serum cortisol level was found in LS fish, while the lowest average was observed in MS fish. The pH was higher in LS fish. Fillets from MS fish had greater tenderness at 8 days post-mortem. The color development of stressed fish showed higher lightness on days 0, 2, and 8 post-mortem, and red intensity was lower in MS fish. No significant differences were observed in the yellow intensity of the fillets. It is concluded that short- and long-term crowding stress results in higher stress levels, leading to alterations in the development of pH, texture, and coloration of Nile tilapia fillets.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Elenice Souza dos Reis Goes, Maria Ildilene da Silva, Marcio Douglas Goes, Milton Teixeira de Moraes Junior, Valfredo Figueira da Silva, Ricardo Pereira Ribeiro
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