frozen hake is a very common and appreciated seafood product in the Portuguese retail market both in its frozen, whole or in portions or fillets state. The quality of this fish is characterized by its delicate taste and smooth, somewhat creamy texture. It is also versatile and easy to prepare in a number of ways.
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Generally, the hake fillets analyzed showed good microbiological quality. Total counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria were below 5-6 log cfu/g and E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected in any of the samples. However, the presence of coliforms and yeasts in some of the hake products may be due to poor hygienic conditions during handling of hake fillets prior to freezing and thus indicate possible spoilage during storage.
On the other hand, a high proportion of hake fillets were found with higher than recommended levels of ice glaze which may contribute to dehydration and oxidation during frozen storage. Moreover, lower than expected values of soluble protein and undue thaw drip loss proteins, indicative of denaturation/aggregation and quality deterioration during frozen storage, were observed in several samples.
Finally, most of the hake fillet processors indicated significantly higher ‘best before’ periods than the recommended one (20 months). This suggests that the majority of hake products are frozen for excessively long periods and do not comply with current recommendations in terms of frozen storage practices.
