The Effect of Frozen Storage on the Quality of Atlantic Salmon

Author(s): Wesam Al-Jeddawi, Paul Dawson

Salmon is a nutritious fish food high in omega-3 fatty acids and is highly sought for its unique sensory attributes. Long term frozen storage allows the widespread distribution of salmon to improve the economic situation of this industry and avail a greater population to the nutritional benefits of salmon. The purpose of this research was to determine the quality changes in Atlantic Salmon stored at different freezer temperatures over 12 months. Fresh and pre-frozen salmon were placed in five different freezers set at -7°C, -12°C, -18°C, -29°C and -77°C and evaluated for quality at 90, 180, 270 and 360 days of storage. In general, quality was retained to a greater extent in salmon held at -29°C and -77°C for 360 days compared to other storage temperatures. No significant difference between freezer -29°C and -77°C was found in weight loss at days 180, 270 and 360, pore size at days 270 and 360, and for water holding capacity, texture and TBARS, at days 90, 180, 270 and 360. The predicted shelf life of freshly frozen Atlantic Salmon was calculated based on the zero-order reaction model which was 268.82 days-7°C; 297.61 days-12°C; 355.78 days-18°C; 438.02 days-29°C, and 424 days-77°C. While the shelf life of pre-frozen Atlantic Salmon was 271.28 days- 7°C; 281.77 days-12°C; 351.33 days-18°C; 392.59 days-29°C; and 402.99 days-77°C. Based on several quality parameters having minimal variation between 4 to 9 months at home freezer temperatures, energy savings could be realized by use of higher freezer temperatures for storage of salmon.