Abstract: For the purpose of investigating the effects of storage conditions on fillet quality, grass carp fillets (without dark meat) and salmon fillets were stored at 4, 10 (with and without light exposure at an intensity of 5 000 lx) and 25 ℃. It was demonstrated that the pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value and color difference of both grass carp and salmon fillets changed significantly (P < 0.05) during storage, and total viable count (TVC), pH, TVB-N, TBA, color difference, andadenosine triphosphate (ATP) decomposition (K value) were increased with prolonging storage time. Meanwhile, light exposure had significant effects on the pH and TBA value of both grass carp and salmon fillets during storage (P < 0.05), resulting in a higher increase in pH and causing photooxidation, which accelerated the increase in TBA value, compared with dark conditions. However, the effects on TVC, TVB-N, K value and color difference were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Different storage temperatures exhibited significantly different effects on fish quality during storage (P < 0.05).

Key words: light, temperature, grass carp, salmon, quality changes