American Journal of Agricultural Science 2015; 2(1): 8-12 Published online February 10, 2015 (http://www.aascit.org/journal/ajas) Keywords Chemical Assessment, Storage Life, Ice, Ambient Temperature Received: January 12, 2015 Revised: January 30, 2015 Accepted: January 31, 2015 Shelf Life Studies of Wild Tilapia guineensis Stored in Ice and at Ambient Temperature Abraham-Olukayode A. O., Oramadike C. E. * Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria Email address chigooramadike2007@yahoo.com (Oramadike C. E.) Citation Abraham-Olukayode A. O., Oramadike C. E.. Shelf Life Studies of Wild Tilapia guineensis Stored in Ice and at Ambient Temperature. American Journal of Agricultural Science. Vol. 2, No. 1, 2015, pp. 8-12. Abstract The shelf life of food is the maximum length of time a given food material is fit for consumption. Fish is highly perishable due to their biological composition and its shelf life counts from once it is taken from water until it is no longer fit to eat. Shelf life study of wild Tilapia guineensis in ice and ambient temperature were carried out. Trimethylamine (TMA) and Total Volatile Nitrogen (TVN) of fish flesh were monitored alongside with microbial assessment. TMA and TVN of the fish increased on ice storage from 4.32 and 8.57mg kg -1 on day 0 to 14.52 and 32.62 mg kg -1 respectively on day 18. At ambient temperature TMA and TVN increased from 4.32 and 8.57 mg kg -1 at 0 hour, to 14.75 and 38.29 mg kg -1 in 12 hours. The TVN values for both storage conditions revealed a significant difference (P<0.05) while the TMA values showed no significant difference (P>0.05). The microbial assessment showed Total Viable Count (TVC) of 3.86 x 10 6 at harvest and 4.56 x 10 9 Cfu g -1 on day 18 on ice with range of 0 - 1.3x 10 7 Cfu g -1 TVC of hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) producers . At ambient temperature, TVC range was 3.86 x 10 6 - 3.82 x 10 9 Cfu g -1 after 12 hours, H 2 S ranged from 0 - 1.7 x 10 7 Cfu g -1 . The principal spoilage organisms were presumptively identified. TMA and TVN results showed maximum acceptability of samples for 18 days on ice and 12 h at ambient temperature. The microbial and sensory assessment was in support of the chemical assessment. 1. Introduction Shelf life of food is a quality to be monitored in food, because it actually gives the maximum length of hours and days a given food is fit for consumption (Doyle, 1995). In case of seafood products, fish spoilage begins once it is taken out of its environment. This makes it a critical issue for fishermen, the seller and the consumer to be aware of the shelf life of these sea foods. In selling of fish, the shelf life has a high consideration, calculating the shelf life helps the fisherman and the retailer to plan the length of time a product can be held, allowing control of their market. Temperature and handling practices are the most important factors in determining the shelf life of all fish species. If the fish product is handled carefully, the temperature at which it is held controls its useful life. Temperature will control the rate of bacterial spoilage and enzymatic breakdown. An indisputable fact is that the higher the temperature, the faster fish spoil (Doyle, 1995). Studies on shelf life of sea food had been carried out by Oramadike et al, 2010, Ihuahu et al, (2010) and Ola and Oladipupo (2004). In Nigeria, fishing industry is divided into artisanal sector, industrial sector and fish culture. The artisanal sector, in spite of its low technological development remains the backbone of fish production (Tobor, 1990). However, fish landed by the artisanal fishermen