Abstract: In order to study the effect of different dry-curing salt concentrations on the quality of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) fillets stored at 4°C, this paper studied the sensory score, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), total aerobic counts (TAC), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-related compounds of the fish. The results showed that sensory score decreased gradually as storage time progressed and the sensory quality of the control, T1, and T2 groups became unacceptable after 4, 4, and 8 days of storage, respectively. Moreover, TVB-N, TAC, hypoxanthine (Hx) and K value showed an increase trend, and these indicators of T2 were significantly lower than those of the control and T1 (P < 0.05). TBA also exhibited an increase trend, however, TBA value of T2 was significantly higher than that of the control and T1 (P < 0.05), indicating the lipid oxidation of T2 was more serious. The study showed that dry curing with 1.5% salt had a certain delay effect on the quality determination of bighead carp, but the effect was not obvious; while 4.0% salt could significantly delay the quality changes and extend the shelf life of bighead carp, but it facilitated the oxidation of lipid.

Key words: bighead carp, salted, refrigerated storage, quality changes