Effect of Storage Conditions on the Quality Attributes of Value-added Cutlets Produced from Low-cost Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

The study was conducted to develop a high-quality value-added product, fish cutlet, using a low-priced fish, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). Skinless and boneless fish fillets were minced to prepare the fish cutlet, which was stored in both refrigerator (4 +/- 1 degrees C) and freezing conditions (-18 +/- 2 degrees C) to evaluate various quality attributes through biochemical, microbiological, and sensory analysis. Results revealed that the proximate composition of the prepared cutlet changed significantly (p < .05) after 16 days of refrigeration (moisture = 54.3%; protein = 14.2%; lipid = 10.63%; ash = 4.42% of wet tissue) and 120 days of freezing (moisture = 57.1%; protein = 15.48%; lipid = 8.26%; ash = 5.7%) compared to 0 day (moisture = 61.16%; protein = 18.47%; lipid = 6.17%; ash = 3.40%). The pH, total volatile base nitrogen, peroxide value, and bacterial counts of the products increased significantly (p < .05) with the storage time but were within permissible limits across the treatments. However, sensory scores of the products exhibited a declining pattern with the increase of storage duration. Overall, this study concludes that the storage conditions have significant effect on product quality and shelf life.