Microbiological quality and shelf life prediction of chilled fish.

A number of storage experiments have been carried out with whole cod and vacuum-packed cod fillets stored in ice. The microbiological quality of the fish was determined on the basis of detection time estimated rapidly by conductance assays in a TMAO-containing medium at 25 degrees C. Detection time and sensory data have been incorporated into a predictive linear model to estimate the remaining shelf life of the products. It is concluded that the shelf life of iced whole cod can be predicted using this model but not that of vacuum-packed fillets because of the greater variability of bacterial activity in packaged fish.