EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE FREEZING-THAWING CYCLES IN DIFFERENT CONDITION ON QUALITY CHANGES OF ATLANTIC BONITO (SARDA SARDA, BLOCH 1793)

In this study, the aim was to detect quality changes under different conditions with regard to multiple frozen-thawed gutted and whole Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda, Bloch 1793). The Atlantic bonito (gutted and whole) were frozen at -30 +/- 2 degrees C and were thawed 4 times at room temperature (21 +/- 2 degrees C, 4 hours) and 4 times under tap water (15 +/- 2 degrees C, 3 hours) at 15-day intervals. The quality assessment of the Atlantic bonito was done using sensory quality, chemical [total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine nitrogen (TMA-N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), pH] and microbiological analyses [total mesophilic aerobic bacteria (TMAB)]. According to the sensory analysis results, the best score was given to the gutted Atlantic bonitos, thawed under tap water, after the final thawing process.