Assessing the effectiveness of a cold chain for fresh fish salmon (Salmo salar) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in a food processing plant

In recent years, consumer attention has centered on the acquisition of very fresh food. Therefore the food industry has focused not only on meeting the safety regulations in this field, but also in keeping customers by providing safe and healthy products. Considering this reality, the present work evaluates the inherent quality issues in a company located in the city of Zaragoza, Spain, dedicated to fresh fish processing and marketing. In order to do this, the cold chain process of the plant was evaluated through physical analysis (including pH and determination of surface temperature), chemical, microbiological and sensory changes in two species of fish (Salmo salar and Sardina pilchardus). In all cases the temperature was higher in the finished product than the raw material. Microbiological count were satisfactory, according to the Community Regulation EC 2073/2005. Sensory evaluation conducted by an expert panel established a high degree of freshness (90%) in both species, and the brightness of skin was the best evaluated parameter. The principal component analysis (PCA) built from the parameters evaluated showed a great susceptibility of these to the cold chain, being able to discriminate a uniform process for salmon and other highly heterogenous for sardines, these results could be attributed to their different origins, farmed and captured respectively. However, both processes were effective in terms of quality and safety of the cold chain concerned.