Title: Changes in the quality and yield of fish fillets due to temperature fluctuations during processing

The objective of this study was to map the ambient and fish fillets temperature in a fish processing plant. Furthermore, to investigate the effects of ambient temperature (10, 16, 22°C) and holding time (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 hours) on temperature rises and drip loss in fresh redfish and saithe fillets. During subsequent chilled storage (2±2°C), drip and quality changes of saithe fillets that were kept at 16±2°C for 0, 1, 2 hours before packaging were studied. Results showed that the highest ambient and fillets temperature appeared in packaging areas of the processing plant. Longer holding time and higher ambient temperature during processing led to significant drip losses and temperature rises in the fillets. According to sensory evaluation, microbiological and pH analysis, longer holding time significantly reduced shelf life of the products. Two hours holding before packaging, caused 21.5% (3 days) shelf life loss of saithe fillets in comparison with the product packed immediately.