Figure 1.

Freshness assessment of iced−stored sardine with emphasis on odor development according to EU grading and QIM (the EU grade is the European Union grade; the QIM score is the Quality Index Method score). The EU freshness grading distinguishes four categories of fish, from E (very fresh state), A, and B to C (not admitted). The QIM uses many weighted parameters (e.g., appearance, eyes, cover, and gills) with a scoring system from 0 to 4 demerit points for each parameter; it gives a total score of zero to very fresh fish and returns an increasingly larger result as fish deteriorates [26].