THE COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF SENSORIAL FEATURES OF THREE SALMONIDAE SPECIES KEPT UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the freshness of three salmonidae species from the Centre of Aquaculture “Neretva“ in Konjic kept under different conditions i.e. temperature. The research included a total of 60 fishes, 20 brown trouts (Salmo trutta m. fario Linnaeus), Brook trouts (Salvelinus alpinus) and rainbow trouts (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) each with an average weight of 200 grams. To assess the freshness of the fish we used sensory method by point system (1). Examined were the appearance, color, smell, taste, and consistency of the fish. Also, any pathological skin changes as well as the appearance of the eyes and gills were noted (2). The freshness rating was made three times in 48 hours. Chemical evaluation included the amount of water, fat, protein and ash. Sensory analysis of all samples, which was conducted at room temperature showed deterioration of freshness over time indicated by increasing number of points (after 48 hours, the number was 20 points out of maximum 24), while the control samples (from the fridge) showed no changes even 48 hours after the beginning of analysis, when the fish was still fresh. The experimental data obtained by analyzing chemical composition of fish did not significantly differ from the literature sources.Key words: fish meat, chemical composition, freshness of fish meat, sensory analysis