Black tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon) were harvested and stored at 0 °C for study. A quality index method (QIM) developed to evaluate the freshness of black tiger shrimp is presented in this study. The terms used to describe all the changes related to the texture, color, and odor are carefully chosen. | Natural Science ISSN 1859–1388 Vol. 126, No. 1B, 2017, P. 19–28 DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY INDEX METHOD TO ASSESS FRESHNESS AND SHELF-LIFE OF BLACK TIGER SHRIMP (PENAEUS MONODON) STORED AT 0 °C Le Nhat Tam1, 2*, Nguyen Nam Giao1, Tran Thi Ngoc Nhung1, Dao Bich Duyen1, Le Thi Hong Nhung1, Nguyen Ba Thanh1, Tran Thi Van Thi2 1 Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, 12 Nguyen Van Bao St., , Q. Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 2 HU – University of Sciences, 77 Nguyen Hue St., Hue, Vietnam Abstract: Black tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon) were harvested and stored at 0 °C for study. A quality index method (QIM) developed to evaluate the freshness of black tiger shrimp is presented in this study. The terms used to describe all the changes related to the texture, color, and odor are carefully chosen. The development of the QIM scheme includes three main steps: a preliminary scheme to evaluate all the changes of attributes related to quality; a final QIM scheme and training; and a validation of the QIM scheme and an estimation comparing the remaining shelf-life and the actual shelf-life. The results show that the shelf-life of the black tiger shrimp in the ice storage is 8 days. The quality score involving attributes decreases during the storage time and has a correlation close to the linear regression equation. The scheme of the validation quality of the black tiger shrimp using the QIM method allows the estimation of the remaining shelf life. Keywords: black tiger shrimp, quality index method 1 Introduction Nowadays, consumers are interested in high-quality safe and healthy foods [1]. Moreover, in order to secure the food safety, it is necessary to maintain the high quality of seafood in each link of the whole complex chain from catch to consumer [2]. For commercialization, it is essential to estimate accurately its freshness, one of the most important aspects of fish and fish products [3, 4]. Thus, the need for rapid
