Assessment of Color and Sensory Evaluation of Frozen Fillets from Pangasius Catfish and Nile Tilapia Imported to European Countries

The current study was designed to assess the color and sensory evaluation of frozen fillets of Pangasius catfish and Nile tilapia imported to Poland, Germany, and Ukraine in order to evaluate the possible impact of negative media image of these fish fillets on the sensory expectations of the consumers. The study used two trials of sensory evaluation: Blind and informed, on a group of untrained respondents and additional color analysis using the Commission Internationale de l'eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* scale. The lowest grades during sensory evaluation in all measured parameters were given to Pangasius imported to Ukraine and Poland. The grades of Pangasius and tilapia imported to Germany were similar and significantly higher than of other Pangasius groups. Generally tilapia fillets were marked as better than Pangasius fillets. Moreover the present study found that there was considerable percentage of customers which are susceptible to various commercial frauds since they marked Pangasius higher when they thought they are consuming turbot. This study also showed that the negative image of Pangasius presented through various mass-media might have a negative impact on consumer's perspective of Pangasius consumption.