The Effects of Sequential Environmental and Harvest Stressors on the Sensory Characteristics of Cultured Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) Fillets

Abstract

Stress during fish culture alters physiological homeostasis and affects fillet quality. Maintenance of high-quality seafood is important to ensure the production of a marketable product. This study assessed how sequential stressors affect the sensory and quality characteristics of catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fillets. Three stress trials were conducted where temperature (25 or 33 °C) and dissolved oxygen (DO, approximately 2.5 or >5 mg/L) were manipulated followed by socking and transport stress. After each stage of harvest (environmental stress, socking, and transport), fillet yield, consumer acceptability, descriptive evaluation, cook loss, tenderness, and pH were evaluated. Fillet yield decreased with increasing severity of environmental stress. Fillets from the severe stress treatment (33 °C, approximately 2.5 mg/L) received the highest acceptability scores (P < 0.05). Control fillets (25 °C, >5 mg/L) were the least acceptable (P < 0.05). Increased intensity of less favorable flavor attributes commonly associated with catfish resulted in the differences in acceptability among treatments. As fish progressed through the harvest event, cook loss decreased, tenderness increased, and pH increased, indicating that stress induced textural changes. The data suggest that although environmental stress results in slight changes in flavor attributes, its effects on acceptability are minor with fillets from all treatments still liked (>6 on a 9 point scale). Socking and transport were identified to positively affect textural characteristics of catfish fillets. Although the effects observed were not likely to negatively impact consumer acceptance, a strict management plan should be followed to maintain consistency in the product and avoid changes in stressors that might alter quality more drastically.

Effect of precooking and polyphosphate treatment on the quality of catfish fillets cooked in pouch in boiling water

“…As precooked food products are generally stored frozen, assuring product quality is a major challenge encountered by the provider (Pie et al, 1991;Ciaramella et al, 2016). Food and its products may deteriorate during frozen storage as a consequence of dehydration, protein denaturation, lipid peroxidation or tissue cell breakage.…”

Impact of a Novel Cryoprotectant Blend on the Sensory Quality of Frozen Lobster (Homarus americanus)

“…Borderías and Sánchez‐Alonso () proposed that seafood species including wild and farmed fish can undergo physiological stress due to changes in environmental and preharvest conditions. Although the report by Borderías and Sánchez‐Alonso () did not include observations under frozen storage conditions, some authors believe that changes in environmental and preharvest conditions can impact the sensory properties and overall acceptability of seafood products (Ciaramella, Kim, Avery, Allen, & Wes Schilling, ). Like other seafood species, lobsters are not exempt from environmental stresses.…”

Effects of acute environmental and handling exposure on physiology and fillet quality of market‐sized Channel Catfish

“…However, exposure to extreme poor water quality conditions resulted in only one red fillet, while two red fillets occurred in the treatment more typical of normal pond conditions (typical treatment). Notably, prior research has not produced similar red fillets as those observed by catfish processors (Allred et al, ) through simulated poor water quality during hauling procedures (Bosworth et al, ) nor chronic exposure to poor water quality followed by harvest procedures (Ciaramella, Kim, et al, ). When considering these experiments along with the results of this study, red fillets are not directly caused by poor water quality and handling stress.…”

“…Although harvesting procedures have been standardized for efficient fish removal and transport to processors, parts of the procedure, namely seining, socking and hauling, create conditions known to induce physiological stress in fish (Bosworth, Small, & Mischke, ; Ciaramella, Kim, Avery, Allen, & Schilling, ; Ciaramella, Nair, Suman, Allen, & Schilling, ; Fauconneau & Laroche, ; Fries, Berkhouse, Morrow, & Carmichael, ; Harmon, ; Pfeiffer & Freeman, ; Torrans, Hogue, & Pilkinton, ). Seining is the first step of a harvest and involves pulling large seine nets with tractors across the pond, a practice that has undergone minimal change since its development in the 1960s (Torrans et al, ; Trimpey, Engle, Heikes, Davis, & Goodwin, ).…”

“…Bosworth et al (), Ciaramella, Nair, et al () and Ciaramella, Kim, et al () reported that fillet quality is correlated with fish stress from suboptimal conditions during socking and/or transport. Texture and discoloration are key indicators of diminished fillet quality (Fauconneau & Laroche, ).…”