COMPARATIVE QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF WILD AND CULTURED NILE TILAPIA (TILAPIA NILOTICUS) STORED AT 4 °C

Sixty Nile (Tilapia nilotica) fish of about 200- 250 gm [ 30 wild and 30 aquacultured] were collected alive and transported directly to the laboratory surrounded by ice bags in an ice box. Organ- olyptic, bacteriological and chemical examination to estimate the freshness rating and the quality parametrs were carried out directly after fish arrival to the laboratory and periodically during chilling storage at 4°C The mean (± St. Error) De- merit scores of wild and aquacultured (Tilapia tuloticus) fish were 0 ±0 and 0 ± 0 at zero time and increased gradually during the storage time till it reaches 16.8 ± 1.37 and 18.2 ±1.41 respectively at the end of the storage period. The mean ( ± St. Error) Aerobic bacterial counts of wild and aquacultured (Tilapia niloticus) fish Were (<10² and 0.4 x 10 ² ±0.13 x 10² ) and (<3 and <3) respectively at zero time and increased gradually during the storage time till it reaches ( 6.8 x10 ⁵ ±7.85 x 10² and 6.1 x  10 ⁶ ±9.7 x 10 ² ) and (0.85 x10² ±0.12 x 10 ² and 0.94 x10 ² ±0.14 x 10 ² ) respectively at the end of the storage period and there was a significant difference (P > 0.05) between the means of both aerobic plate counts and coliforms counts of the wild and aquacultured (Tilapia niloticus) fish during all storage period. The mean values (± St. Error) of Total Volatile Bases Nitrogen (mg / 100g) and Thiobarbituric acid number ( mgMal /Kg) of the wild and aquacultured (Tilapia niloticus) fish samples were ( 3.16 ±0.05 and 3.58 ±0.07 ) and ( 0.036 ±0.003 and 0.081 ±0.009 ) respectively at zero time and increased gradually during the storage time till it reaches ( 32.83 ±1.17 and 33.72 ±1.21) and ( 2.164 ±0.168 and 2.535 ±0.195 ) respectively at the end of the storage period and there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the means of both TVB-N and TBA of the wild and aquacultured (Tilapia niloticus) fish.