Effect of pre-processing of trout by freezing on the characteristics of smoked trout fillets

Abstract

In the situation when the capacities of production and further treatment of smoked fi sh are insuffi cient, it is necessary to freeze fresh fish during the fishing season and treat it later, when the season is over.
That was the reason why the aim of our study was to explore effects of freezing on certain quality parameters of smoked fish. Experimental design included trout separated into two groups: the control group
of fresh fish and the experimental group of frozen fish. During production process, total bacterial count was examined, and at the end of the process, chemical composition of the final product (vacuum-packed cold smoked trout) was determined. During the storage of the product at 4°C up to 21 days, microbiological, physicochemical and sensory analyses were performed at regular intervals. Overall, the results
of the present study demonstrated that pre-processing freezing of trout is suitable and, in periods of large catches, even recommendable step in smoked trout production, at least for smaller processors.