Title: Effects of dry ice and superchilling on quality and shelf life of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) fillets

Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) fillets were packed with dry ice or ice packs and stored chilled (3-4°C) and superchilled (-2°C) for up to two weeks. The physical changes (drip loss, cooking yield, water holding capacity and colour), chemical changes (pH, water, trimethylamine, total volatile base and thiobarbituric acid), microbial changes (total viable count and H2S producing bacteria) and sensory changes were observed on day zero, three, six, nine, 13 and 16 of the storage period. The shelf life of fillets packed with the ratio of 150 g dry ice to 3 kg Arctic charr fillets and stored at superchilling temperature was 16 days. This was six days longer than the shelf life of chilled fillets which were packed with the same ratio of dry ice (10 days) and one day longer than fillets which were packed with ice packs and controlled at superchilling temperature (15 days). There were no detected effects on the quality of fillets caused by cell destruction due to partial freezing or soured taste due to the absorption of CO2 gas in the fish flesh. This permits transportation of higher quality Arctic charr fillets to distant markets.