Shelflife of whole fresh Lake Malawi tilapia (Chambo) stored in ice

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine time when freshly caught Lake Malawi tilapia (Chambo) can remain in acceptable and safe condition for consumers. Sensory, microbiological, and proximate composition analyses including measurement of pH were conducted on fresh fish samples collected from Lake Malawi and stored in ice. The versatile quality index method (QIM) scheme was employed to determine the shelf life of the fish by combining findings from all the analyses. Results demonstrated that with good storage in ice, Chambo can remain in acceptable and safe condition for consumers for up to 16 days.