Irradiation treatmentSweetlip (Lethrinus miniutu.s), red emperor (LZ@IU.S sebae), mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson), whiting (Sillago ciliutu), mullet (Mu@ cephulus), barramundi (Lutes culcurzfer), sand crab (Portunus pelugicus), Moreton Bay prawns (Metupenueus spp. ) and king prawns (Penueusplubujus) were irradiated at doses of 0, 1, 3 and 5 kGy. A dose of 1 kGy resulted in a 1.5 to 4 log reduction in total bacterial numbers. Sensory quality decreased with increasing radiation dose except for Moreton Bay prawns and cooked king prawns, which were acceptable after a 5 kGy dose. Doses higher than 3 kGy caused adverse odor and flavor changes in Moreton Bay and cooked king prawns. A dose of 1 kGy could extend storage life of any of the species without adversely affecting sensory quality.Seafood packs were stored in crushed ice within insulated containers and irradiated in a small batch plant with a %o plaque source (Izard, 1985) within 24 hr of purchase. The source had an activity of 69,000 curies. Seafood was given a 0, 1, 3 or 5 kGy irradiation dose at a dose rate of 7.2 Gy/min as determined by ceric-cerous sulphate dosimetry. These doses were minimum in all cases (minimum to maximum ratios < 1:1.3). Temperature of the seafoods remained at 2°C throughout irradiation. Following irradiation, one pack of each seafood from each treatment was randomly selected and held chilled. All other packs were immediately blast frozen (-40°C) for subsequent sensory evaluation. All evaluations were completed within 3 wk of irradiation.

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Some tropical fish species of commercial significance can grow reasonably old without growing into particularly large fish. These fish can have a cooked meat texture that is very firm and not dissimilar to that of cooked chicken meat. These species should be marketed as such and not targeted toward existing markets and consumers more familiar with fish species with softer meat texture.

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