Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata): suitability for freezing and commercial alternatives

The quality of portion-size farmed gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) during frozen storage and the influence of post-mortem treatments were studied in order to find new ways of marketing this species. Portion-sized gilthead seabream, fasted for 48 h prior to slaughter, were frozen and stored at -20 °C for up to one year. Whole fish were frozen immediately after rigor mortis; gutted fish were frozen immediately after rigor and after 5 days of storage in ice. All lots were stored at -20 °C for up to one year. The myofibrillar protein of this species was very stable and a slight decrease of solubility in salt solutions was found only after one year of frozen storage. A slight decrease in water-holding capacity and a slight increase in shear strength were observed, but these were lower than in other species. These changes were reflected as increased toughness and reduced juiciness in sensory analysis of the cooked fillets after one year. The main changes in the cooked fillets were observed in odour and flavour. No significant detrimental effect due to the guts was detected during frozen storage. Storage in ice prior to freezing was reflected in sensory assessment of the raw fish, mainly in terms of initial higher demerit points for fishy odour, gills and eyes; however, no effect was observed in the cooked fillets.