Effect of sugar on the changes in quality of lightly salted grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idellus) fillets under vacuum packaging at 4°C

To estimate the effect of a low concentration of sugar on the changes in quality of lightly salted grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) during storage under vacuum packaging at 48C, we determined the sensory score, total viable counts, biochemical quality, and physical quality of fish fillets. Fish samples were left untreated, dry cured with 1.3% salt, or dry cured with 1.3% salt plus 1.0% sugar. Compared with untreated samples, curing treatments reduced chemical changes reflected in pH, inosine monophosphate, hypoxanthine riboside, hypoxanthine, and total volatile base nitrogen; decreased the formation of phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, and histamine; and increased the overall sensory quality of fillets (P < 0.05). Compared to dry cured with 1.3% salt samples, sugar treatment significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) the increase in pH and total volatile base nitrogen value, but it promoted microbial growth and the formation of phenylethylamine and tyramine at later stages of storage. By considering each indicator, the addition of sugar, which can improve the taste of fillets, has no significant effect on the shelf life of vacuum-packaged grass carp fillets.