Postmortem changes in physicochemical properties of songpu mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio) during iced storage

In order to estimate the physicochemical changes of songpu mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio) during 72 h postmortem storage in ice, the concentration of ATP and related compounds, texture parameters, pH value, color parameters and water holding capacity (WHC) were studied. The inosine monophosphate (IMP) concentration in songpu mirror carp increased to top at 36 h while the pH reached the lowest value at 8 h after slaughter. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration, texture parameters (hardness, adhensiveness, springiness cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience) and WHC all reached the extreme values within 2 h during postmortem storage. K value increased from 1.41% to 7.50% during the whole storage. Both a⁎ and b⁎ values showed no significant change after 8 h. The ice-stored songpu mirror carp has obtained better characteristics for processing and consuming at 2–4 h after slaughter.