The effect of vacuum packaging technique on the shelflife of eviscerated pabda catfish (Ompok pabda) during chill storage at 4 ± 2 °C was studied. The shelflife of pabda fish was predicted based on the cumulative observations of biochemical, microbiological and sensory parameters. There was no significant difference in the lipid quality parameters studied between the samples during the chill storage period, whereas, vacuum packaging significantly improved the sensory and microbiological quality. Based on microbiological parameters such as Total Viable Count, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Spp, total Vibrios, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, faecal Streptococcus and anaerobic sulphite reducers, the shelflife of chilled gutted pabda catfish was estimated to be 14-16 and 18-20 days for air packed and vacuum packed samples, respectively. The sensory parameters showed extended shelflife by four more days for both the samples.
Keywords: Chill storage; Evisceration; Pabda catfish; Vacuum packaging.