In this brief guide, we will answer the question, ‘How long can you keep fresh tuna in the fridge?’. We will look at the factors that make tuna spoil. We will delve into the important steps of storing tuna in the fridge to ensure longevity and freshness.
How long can you keep fresh tuna in the fridge?
Fresh raw tuna will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. Cooked tuna fish however will last in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Fresh tuna must be placed in the coolest section of the fridge where the temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tuna fish has high perishability. FDA advises avoiding letting tuna sit for more than 2 hours at room temperature. If your temperature exceeds 90 Fahrenheits, do not let the tuna fish sit for more than an hour.
There is always a checklist when it comes to food safety which in turn determines the shelf-life. For meats such as seafood, the standard starts right from the seawater. Assuming your fresh tuna are from the cleanest possible water body and then handled under ideal condition, you can make them last for longer than average in the fridge.
What are the refrigeration guidelines for fresh tuna?
The life of fresh tuna depends on the handling immediately after harvesting. Considering tuna fish was chilled immediately after harvesting until you buy, it all comes down to how you cook, store and handle it.
• The standard guideline for optimum refrigeration temperature is from 32 to 38 Fahrenheit. If the storage temperature doesn’t lie in the range, the shelf-life of tuna would be affected.
Even if you exceed the sell-buy date, careful handling deems the date insignificant. Even if you exceed the best before date, but it has only been a day since you brought the tuna home, you can still consume them.
• Leave your seafood in its original packaging until you are ready to consume them. If you open it up before you need to, you are only exposing the meat to environmental contaminants.
Keep the fresh tuna tightly wrapped and leave them in the fridge.
• If you leave fresh tuna out of the fridge for longer than two hours, discard them promptly. Exposing seafood to temperatures between 40 F to 140 F encourages bacterial growth.
You can halt the bacterial growth that takes place on your protein once again, but you cannot reverse the toxic secretions of the bacteria that have been thriving on your tuna.
• If you leave the fresh tuna at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, it is better not to consume them.
You can push the shelf-life of your tuna for more than two days, given that they were handled and stored adequately after harvesting. Also, you took the utmost care possible to ensure the longevity of your fresh tuna.
How to tell if fresh tuna has spoiled?
Tuna that has spoiled will change its characteristics; smell, texture, or color alters. An off-odor or a slimy texture is a good indicator of the condition of tuna.
Like other meats, tuna has high perishability. All kinds of seafood have a short shelf life due to their high water and nutritional content. To ensure the longevity of your fresh tuna fish; handling practices have to be observed from harvesting until cooked.
Other FAQs about Tuna which you may be interested in.
How long can you keep tuna fish in the fridge?
Why does tuna fish spoil so soon?
Meat is a perishable commodity that requires careful handling. Seafood such as tuna fish is home to microorganisms that can cause food poisoning. It is advised to store tuna fish at low temperatures as room temperature can cause your meat to spoil prematurely.
Therefore, it deems necessary to care for tuna products.
Bacteria are everywhere in the environment, even in the fish meat itself. You must handle your tuna fish properly to prevent bacteria from causing havoc to it.
How to store tuna fish?
- Make sure the tuna fish stays wrapped in original packaging.
- Keep tuna in the fridge for as much time as possible.
- Wrap in an air-tight container or foil.
- Do not thaw at room temperature or in the microwave unless you must consume it immediately.
The variables that account for the shelf-life of tuna fish are; its packaging and the state of the environment. To stay on the safe side, examine your fish before you consume it.
The popular saltwater fish that belongs to the mackerel family, is consumed worldwide.
Tuna fish provides all the nutrients that seafood must provide. The presence of omega 3 Fatty acid boosts the immune system, heart health, and brain health.
In this brief guide, we answered the question, ‘How long can you keep fresh tuna in the fridge?’. We looked at the factors that make tuna spoil. We delved into the important steps of storing tuna in the fridge to ensure longevity and freshness.
Citations
Canned Tuna FAQ
https://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18562
https://www.quora.com/How-long-will-tuna-stay-fresh-in-a-fridge
https://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18559#:~:text=How%20long%20can%20raw%20tuna,2%20hours%20at%20room%20temperature.