Development and evaluation of canned pâté-based tilapia MSM Daniela De G. C.Freitas a , Alda L. Santos b , Angela A. L. Furtado a , Marilia P. Stephan a , Ana Lucia Penteado a a Embrapa Food Technology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (daniela@ctaa.embrapa.br ; afurtado@ctaa.embrapa.br ; stephan@ctaa.embrapa.br ; analucia@ctaa.embrapa.br) b Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Brazil (aldaleticia@yahoo.com.br) ABSTRACT The mechanically separated tilapia meat (tilapia MSM), obtained after a standardized filleting process, was used in this study aiming to investigate the viability of the tilapia pâté submitted to sterilization processing in autoclave further to assess its acceptance by consumers. Two formulations of pâté were prepared varying the type of commercial salt used: spiced salt (SSP) and pure salt (PSP). Consumers (112) evaluated overall liking, spreadability, appearance and flavour acceptability on 9-point hedonic scales. The formulation that presented the highest consumer acceptability was also evaluated in a shelf life study, being stored at 22°C during six months. The samples were withdrawn for quality assessment in relation to the microbiological analysis (commercial sterility), protein quantification and sensory evaluation (Qualitative Descriptive Analysis). After the storage period an acceptance test it was also conducted by 119 consumers. A good consumers’ acceptance was observed for the tilapia MSM pâtés. However, the sample SSP was preferred to the sample PSP with regard to all attributes evaluated. The pâté-based tilapia MSM remained stable in terms of microbiological analysis and protein profile along the 180-days shelf life, indicating that the thermal processing (115 °C for 15 minutes) was appropriate. There was no change in the sensory characteristics of pâté during storage, except for the attributes "spreadability" and "creaminess", which showed significant variation in their QDA averages. After 180 days of storage, the frequency of acceptance among 119 consumers of pâté was 95% for "overall acceptability". The results confirmed the technical feasibility of canned pâté-based tilapia MSM, since the microbiological, nutritional and sensorial acceptance after processing was kept for 180 days. Keywords: tilapia fish, canned processing; food quality; shelf-life INTRODUCTION The progress of tilapia production worldwide is being intensified mainly due to the decline in marine fisheries and to its healthy meat quality. Tilapia, one of the most suitable fish species for intensive farming and trade, has typical characteristics that are preferred by the market, such as white meat, firm texture, delicate taste, easy filleting and no bones in “Y”, in addition to their high growth rate and adaptability to different conditions. On the other hand, about 70% of the carcass from tilapia meat processing has being largely used in Brazil to produce flour for animal feeding. The mechanically separated tilapia meat (tilapia MSM), that consist of parts of the fillet obtained due to the standardization of the format in the filleting process, is an alternative for diversification of fish products and for using the filleting industry waste. The tilapia MSM was utilized in this study aiming to investigate the viability of the tilapia pâté submitted to sterilization processing in autoclave further to assess the acceptance by consumers of this potentially new product. MATERIALS & METHODS Pâté Preparation Tilapia MSM was obtained from Cooperativa Regional de Piscicultores e Ranicultores do Vale de Macacu e Adjacências LTDA (Cachoeiras de Macacu-RJ/Brazil). The material was transported in a polystyrene box with ice to Embrapa Food Technology and was stored at -18°C. After preliminary tests, two formulations of pâté were prepared varying the type of commercial salt used: spiced salt (SSP) and pure salt (PSP) as shown in Table 1. Figure 1 outlines the processing steps of tilapia pâté. The binomial time and temperature used to sterilize the product was equal to 115ºC for 15 minutes, a value that resulted in F 0 of 7.14 minutes.