Development and Shelf-Life Assessment of Fish Sticks Using Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella)

: The study’s primary objective was to evaluate the storage duration, sensory characteristics, and microbial changes of improved fish sticks made from grass carp. The fish sticks were stored at different temperatures: room temperature (28ºC), refrigerated temperature (5ºC), and frozen temperature (-18ºC). Strict adherence to good manufacturing practices was followed during the development of the fish sticks, incorporating a diverse range of food additives. Proximate composition analysis was conducted to determine the precise moisture, lipid, protein, and ash contents of the grass carp fish mince. The analysis showed that the fish mince had approximately 79.16±1.42% moisture, 3.07±0.69% lipid, 17.21±0.45% protein, and 1.71±0.19% ash. Fresh fish sticks exhibited a moisture content of 65.78±0.86%, lipid content of 6.81±0.85%, protein content of 16.37±0.34%, and ash content of 2.84±0.09%. The initial total plate count (TPC) in fresh fish sticks was meticulously measured and found to be 4.11±0.75 Log CFU/g. Throughout the storage period, it was observed that the TPC of grass carp fish sticks significantly increased at room and refrigerated temperatures. Interestingly, refrigeration slowed down the rate of microbial increase, whereas frozen storage at -18°C resulted in a substantial reduction in the initial microbial load, reaching 2.15±0.44 Log CFU/g after 8 weeks. A sensory evaluation was conducted by a panel of seven experts using a nine-point descriptive scale to assess the appearance, flavor, taste, texture, and overall acceptability of the fish sticks. Over the storage duration, the sensory properties gradually declined for fish sticks stored at room and refrigerated temperatures, with a more pronounced decrease observed at room temperature. In contrast, frozen storage showed minimal changes in sensory quality, closely resembling the sensory characteristics of fresh samples even after 8 weeks. Based on the comprehensive findings, it can be inferred that the shelf life of grass carp fish sticks is limited to 24 hours at room temperature and extends slightly to 72 hours under refrigeration. However, fish sticks stored at -18°C maintain their quality for an extended period of 8 weeks, offering a significantly prolonged shelf life compared to other storage conditions.