GIFSQ Tools · Module 08 — Meat, Poultry, Fish & Seafood · Tool 156 of 500
Log a fish freshness check: score eyes, gills, smell, skin and flesh from 0 (fresh) to 3 (spoiled) to get the mean score, the worst score and a freshness verdict.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Mean score (0–3)
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Worst score
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Freshness
Equation: Mean score = (eyes + gills + smell + skin + flesh firmness) ÷ number of attributes scored. Worst score = the highest single attribute score. Freshness: mean under 1 is Fresh, mean 1 to under 2 is Acceptable — use soon, mean 2 or over is Spoiled.
Method: Fish freshness scoring on the Quality Index Method (QIM) pattern — each attribute is scored 0 for fresh to 3 for spoiled, as in the QIM schemes developed for fish species (Bremner and co-workers, CSIRO) and the EU freshness grading in Council Regulation (EC) No 2406/96. This log records sensory scores only; it is not a laboratory test.
Assumptions: the fish was scored whole and ungutted or as the scheme prescribes, by a trained assessor, at chilled temperature; every attribute was scored.
Limitations: sensory scoring is subjective and species-dependent — the same score means different things for different fish; a good sensory score does not guarantee the fish is microbiologically safe; temperature history matters as much as the score.
Rounding: mean score to 2 decimal places; worst score as entered; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Fish freshness scoring on the Quality Index Method (QIM) pattern — each attribute is scored 0 for fresh to 3 for spoiled, as in the QIM schemes developed for fish species (Bremner and co-workers, CSIRO) and the EU freshness grading in Council Regulation (EC) No 2406/96. This log records sensory scores only; it is not a laboratory test.
Assumptions: the fish was scored whole and ungutted or as the scheme prescribes, by a trained assessor, at chilled temperature; every attribute was scored.
Limitations: sensory scoring is subjective and species-dependent — the same score means different things for different fish; a good sensory score does not guarantee the fish is microbiologically safe; temperature history matters as much as the score.
Rounding: mean score to 2 decimal places; worst score as entered; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: Scores: eyes 0, gills 1, smell 0, skin 1, flesh firmness 0. Mean = (0 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0) ÷ 5 = 0.40; worst score 1 — Fresh.
Freshness log
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| Date | Mean score | Worst score | Freshness |
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Enter values above to see results.
Score each attribute 0 fresh, 1 slight change, 2 clear change, 3 spoiled. Mean under 1 Fresh, 1–2 Acceptable, 2 or over Spoiled. Tool 156 of 500 — GIFSQ
