EFFECT OF DIFFERENT STUNNING METHODS ON THE SHAPE OF Salmo carpio (L. 1758) FILLETS DURING Rigor mortis AND ICE STORAGE

There is growing interest among producers and consumers in ethical practices that safeguard fish welfare. Poor management during the stunning/slaughter phase can represent a stress condition, greatly compromising fish fillet quality during storage. Fish response to slaughter-related stress is species-specific. Thus, one of the most ambitious challenges is to find the best-performing stunning/slaughtering procedure for each species. Further studies are needed, especially for species poorly studied but with a high market value. This study was focused on “carpione del Garda” (Salmo carpio L.), an endemic salmonid of Lake Garda (Italy), which has been inserted as “critically endangered” into the Red List of Threatened Species. To increase useful knowledge on S. carpio, this study aimed at evaluating the effects of two stunning methods commonly utilized for salmonids (i.e., electrical stunning and immersion in iced water) on fillets’ shape, during rigor mortis in refrigerated storage. An automatic image analysis protocol for the evaluation of fillet shape changes was developed to that end.