Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Abstract: In this study, the sensory properties and shelf life of fish balls prepared from carp flesh were investigated. Four study groups were prepared with different combinations of ingredients: garlic, garlic-sunflower oil, onion and onion-sunflower oil. A control group was also prepared. At the end of the sensory evaluation, the groups received between 7.4 and 9.07 points from the panelists regarding appearance, texture, succulence, odour and flavour and general acceptance. The onion and garlic groups were found to be preferable to the control group (p<0.05), however addition of oil did not significantly influence the acceptability of the samples (p>0.05). Vacuum-packed minced fish meat stored at -18°C for 6 months was of good quality in terms of pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid value (TBA) and peroxide value (PV).

Key Words: carp, fish ball, sensory evaluation, shelf-life