Introduction

Food safety and quality are important issues nowadays. It is important to keep the quality of fish at a high level in each link of the whole complex fishery chain. The Quality Index Method QIM is expected to become the leading reference method for the quality assessment of fresh fish within the European community.

Quality assurance systems require monitoring of fish freshness as a critical parameter throughout the fishery chain. QIM will give feedback to the crew of fishing vessels to improve their product handling. QIM will provide the processors with accurate information concerning the freshness and the residual shelf life. QIM will improve product handling all along the chain and will become a useful production tool.

Three European fisheries institutes have decided to establish a strategic alliance called QIM Eurofish. The mission is to promote and implement the use of QIM as a versatile quality tool within fisheries distribution or production chains in Europe.

The Quality Index Method (QIM) is based upon objective evaluation of certain attributes of raw fish (skin, eyes, gills etc) using a points scoring system (from 0 to 3). The lower the score the fresher the fish.

The example for salmon is described below. A trained QIM inspector gives a score from 0 to 3 for each of the key attributes of a fish. The total QIM score is then compared to a QIM calibration curve to establish the relative freshness in terms of storage days in ice.

A software program for the determination of fish freshness based upon QIM has also been developed. Using convenient hand-held terminals a QIM assessment is fast and reliable.

Fast, more accurate than previously possible. The key benefit of QIM is that the method provides the user (producers, buyers, sellers and retailers) with a reliable and standardized freshness measure of a product. The potential of a computerised QIM system, linked with the latest telecom technologies, creates possibilities far beyond those of traditional paper documentation.

Implementation of QIM across Europe is discussed in the EU Concerted Action FAIR PL98-4174 'Fish Quality Labelling and Monitoring'. Four important issues will stimulate the use and implementation of QIM and the development of other quality standards in the whole fishery chain.

The QIM brochures can be downloaded for free, or ordered online.

All available QIM schemes and relevant high quality photographs of attributes are presented in the manual. QIM calibration curves offers the opportunity to estimate the remaining shelflife on basis of a QIM assessment. Furthermore guidelines for sensory evaluation, sample preparation, selection and training of panellists are given.

Recently several papers about QIM or QIM quality related subjects have been published. The complete papers are available for members of QIM-Eurofish, for visitors an abstract is for available.