Shelf Life of Sardine during Immersed Storage in Brine at 15°C, and the Brine Bacterial Flora

Abstract

The effects of brine on fish storage have been studied using sardine (Sardinops melanosticta) as a raw material. Samples were immersed in brine and stored for a period in which they were considered suitable for consumption, at 15°C. NaCl concentration in the fish muscle reached its maximum within the first three days of storage for all the samples, after which the values remained constant. Assessments for suitability for consumption were carried out during storage. They included volatile base nitrogen (VB-N), microbiological, and organoleptic tests. Samples immersed in 15% brine solution proved to be edible for up to 5 days. Microbiological tests on all of the 3 samples found Pseudomonas spp. and Moraxella spp. to be the most numerous bacterial groups on the last day of sampling. © 1993, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.