Abstract:Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the quality deterioration patterns of sous vide (SV) cooked skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) under varying storage temperatures. SV-treated back muscles were stored at -18 °C, 4 °C, and 25 °C, respectively, during which changes in color, pH, moisture content, weight loss rate, water-holding capacity, texture properties (hardness, springiness, and chewiness), total viable count, and TVB-N were monitored periodically. Kinetic models were further applied to establish shelf-life prediction equations. The results demonstrated that over the storage period, the L* and a* values, moisture content, water-holding capacity, and springiness exhibited a progressive decline, whereas the b* value, pH, weight loss rate, total viable count, and TVB-N showed a continuous increase. Hardness displayed an initial rise followed by a subsequent decline, and chewiness decreased at 4 °C and 25 °C, while at -18 °C it first increased and then decreased. Storage temperature exerted a significant influence on the rate of quality deterioration. The most pronounced deterioration was observed at 25 °C, with TVB-N exceeding the acceptable limit on day 4; samples stored at 4 °C exhibited an intermediate deterioration rate; and the slowest changes were recorded at -18 °C, with TVB-N surpassing the limit on day 120. The accumulation kinetics of total viable count and TVB-N indicated that elevated temperatures markedly curtailed the shelf life of SV skipjack tuna, while low temperatures effectively retarded quality deterioration, albeit not indefinitely, as the quality indicators eventually exceeded the acceptable thresholds upon extended storage. Based on the shelf-life prediction equation established via the Arrhenius model, the relative errors between the predicted and measured shelf life of SV skipjack tuna at -18 °C, 4 °C, and 25 °C were found to range from 0.89% to 11.92%, demonstrating that the model provided satisfactory predictive accuracy. The shelf-life prediction equation developed in the present study, grounded in kinetic models, offers a theoretical framework for the optimization of SV processing protocols and the selection of suitable storage regimes for skipjack tuna.