Influência do peso de abate nas características físico-químicas e na qualidade do filé de Tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

The chemical composition of fish meat is linked to endogenous and exogenous factors. Thus, the knowledge about the characteristics of interest could allow the production of a better product with higher quality and market acceptance. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of slaughter weight on the chemical composition and on the physical and sensorial characteristics of Nile tilapia fillets. For the experiment, 90 Nile tilapia were divided into three experimental treatments regarding slaughter weight: in treatment 1, tilapia with 140 days were slaughtered with 665 ± 0.085 g as body weight; in treatment 2, the animals were slaughtered at 182 days and 1,000 ± 0.177 g; and in treatment 3, slaughtered at 238 days and 1,325 ± 0.167 g. There was no significant difference (P> 0.05) between the treatments for the chemical composition and fillet yield. Animals with lower slaughter weight had lower pH values of the thawed fillet, lower thaw loss and drip loss, and lower shear force than animals slaughtered with the highest evaluated weight. Tilapias slaughtered with 665 g also presented higher taste and general acceptance, and allowed a higher production profit. These results show that slaughter weight may influence important aspects of the quality of Nile tilapia fillets and that the slaughter of Nile tilapia with 665 g allows to obtain fillets that serve the consumer market.