EN
Samples of herring and cod meat exposed to gamma irridiation at a dose of 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 kGy together with non irridiated meat (control) were stored at 4°C to determine their stability, reduction of the number of psychro- trophic and mesophilic bacteria and to detect the effect of irridiation on the lating quality of meat expressed by sensory evaluation of meat and by peroxide value of muscular fat. It was found that gamma irridiation at the doses 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 kGy prolonged a mean time of meat storage at 4°C by about 1.8—2.6 days (29—42%) in the case of herrins and by about 1.5—2.3 days (23—35%) in the case of cods. A number of bacteria in the examined samples of meat decreased after irridiation proportionally to the used dose of irridiation. It decreased for psychrotrophic bacteria by about 1—4 log cycles and for mesophilic bacteria by about 1—2 log cycles. The use of the dose of irridiation 2.5 and 5.0 kGy caused a pronounced sensory changes easy to detect during the examination of raw meat, but difficult to detect in cooked meat without seasonings. The intensity of these changes increased with a dose of irridiation and after irridiation with the doses higher than 2.5 kGy a quality of meat is low so that meat can even be degraded. The peroxide value in meat of herrings and cods irridiated with 1.0—5.0 kGy increases with the dose of irridiation. On the basis of these data one can conclude that the optimal dose of gamma irridiation of meat of herrings and cods is 2.5 kGy.