EFFECT OF ICING AND FROZEN STORAGE ON THE STABILITY AND SOME QUALITY CI~CTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN EELS (ANGUILLA ANGUILLA) AND CAT-FISH (CLARIAS UZlRA).

EFFECT OF ICING AND FROZEN STORAGE ON THE STABILITY AND

SOME QUALITY CI~CTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN EELS (ANGUILLA

ANGUILLA) AND CAT-FISH (CLARIAS UZlRA).

NADIA S. AHMED*; MAHMOUD A. HAMZA**
AND MOHAMED H. ABDEL-AA1**.
* National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries,

Alexandria, Egypt.

**Department of Food Science & Technology, FaCUlty of

Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt.

ABSTRACT
The effect of icing and frozen storage on the chemica,
composition, free fatty acids (FFA) content, thiobarbituric aci~
(TBA) value, peroxide value (PV), protein fractions and protein
electrophoretic patterns of Egyptian eels and cat-fish muscles were
investigated. Changes in texture and cooking drip value in relation
to other quality characteristics affecting the consumer
acceptability were evaluated.
The results indicated that the effect of fOI’zen storage on the
chemical composition of both fish species was less pronounced than
icing. Hyofibrillar proteins constituted the major fraction in both
fish species followed by sarcoplasmic ones. A noticeable decrease
in these two main protein fractions took place upon icing and
freezing. However, the amount of non protein nitrogen and stroma
and denatured proteins were increased. The changes in protein
electrophoretic patterns after seven days of icing were more
obvious than eight months frozen storage for both fish species.
Gradual and continuous increase of levels of FFA, PV, TBA and
COV was found by increa~ing the duration of cold storage. The
changes in texture al~; 0ther organoleptic properties effecting the
quality of sto,-ed fish were SUbjectively studied.