Effect of CO treatment on color of tilapia fillets during storage

We studied the effect of carbon monoxide(CO) color retention on color of tilapia dark muscle during storage. The result shows that red value a* of product could be improved significantly and retained in a high level during storage.The a* of tilapia treated with CO increases in the first few days and then decreases slowly during cold storage, while a* of untreated ones declines slowly all the way. Color of fillets can be retained within 13 d in cold storage and half year in frozen storage. Theres no significant influence on tilapia L* and b*during storage. Variation of a* value is in accordance with the content of CO residues.Thea* of fillets treated with CO usually continue increasing after storage for 1~2 d，especially during cold storage. The formation of CO-myoglobin(CO-Mb) plays important role in preventing Mb from oxidation.