The Sensory, Chemical and Microbiological Quality of Sous‐Vide Cooked Sea Bass ( <i>Dicentrarchus labrax</i> Linneaus, 1758) With Liquid Smoke Flavor

ABSTRACT This study investigated the sensory, chemical, and microbiological quality characteristics of liquid smoke‐flavored sea bass fillets cooked sous vide at three different temperatures (60°C, 65°C, and 70°C) for 20 min and stored at 2°C ± 1°C for 32 days. The aw value, which is 0.985 in fresh fish, remained unchanged in the SV 60 and SV 65 groups after sous vide cooking, while it was found to be 0.981 in the SV 70 group ( p < 0.05). Sous vide cooking increased L * (brightness) and b * (yellowness) values in all groups, while a * values decreased ( p < 0.05). In terms of TBARs values, all groups were found to be of very good quality at the end of storage. At the end of the storage period, the TVB‐N value of all groups remained within acceptable limits. In the SV 60 and SV 65 groups, total aerobic mesophilic, psychrophilic bacteria, and yeast‐mold counts exceeded the acceptable limit on day 28, while in the SV 70 group, mesophilic bacteria and yeast‐mold counts were within acceptable limits, but the psychrophilic bacteria count exceeded the limit. According to the research results, the most preferred product group in terms of sensory characteristics for sous vide cooked sea bass with liquid smoke flavor was SV 65 ; the optimum cooking temperature was determined to be 65°C for 20 min, and its shelf life was found to be 24 days when stored at 2°C ± 1°C.