Effects of different thawing methods on the quality of meagre fillets

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different thawing methods (air, refrigerator, water and microwave) on physical, chemical and microbiological quality of meagre fillets which were frozen and stored at -20°C for 21 days. The samples were compared for colour changes, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), hardness, adhesiveness, total viable count (TVC), total psychrophilic count (TPC) and hydrogen-sulphide producing bacteria (H2S). In terms of hardness, refrigerator thawed samples exhibited a harder texture compared to other ones. Taking into account all parameters studied, refrigerator thawing was found to be more suitable for the frozen meagre fillets