Handling Stress and Storage Temperature Affect Meat Quality of Farmed‐raised Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar)

ABSTRACT Salmon slaughtered by standard routines (control) or stressed by confinement for 10 min before stunning and then stored at 0.4 or 3.3°C for 9 days were compared. Handling stress led to lower muscle phosphocreatine (p<0.001), adenosine‐5′‐triphosphate (p<0.05) and shorter pre‐rigor period. Storage temperature affected external quality index, white muscle pH and K‐value (degradation products of ATP). Stress produced a softer fillet (p<0.001). A lower breaking strength (p<0.01) was found in fish stored at 0.4°C. Sensory tests distinguished the control/stress groups within the 0.4°C chilling regime and the 0.4°C/3.3°C chilling groups within the control regime. Stress caused a lower score for texture (p<0.05) both at 0.4 and 3.3°C and for odor at 3.3°C in a descriptive sensory test. No detectable effects of stress or storage temperature were found on flavor or color.