Fish farming conditions affect to European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) quality and shelf life during storage in ice

Seafood rapidly deteriorates; storage by cooling in ice is a common technique for prolonging its freshness and quality. The current study compared the shelf life and quality of ice-preserved European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) sourced from two different intensive fish farming systems: terrestrial ponds using heated water from a power plant and floating cages in the open sea. Using sensory analysis, the fish cultured in the heated water ponds were rejected as unacceptable for consumption after 13 days, while the fish reared in the floating cages were rejected after 15 days. Total viable counts of aerobic bacteria, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen and trimethylamine levels were consistently higher in the fish cultured in heated water ponds. Chemical, bacteriological and organoleptic acceptability demonstrated that fish rearing conditions were important for storage and needs to be taken into consideration for fish management and processing.