Summary:
The feasibility of enriching fish cakes with long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) as a source of high quality lipids and seaweed extracts as a natural antioxidant was investigated. The LC-PUFAs were in the form of bulk cod liver oil and microencapsulated fish oil. The sensory quality and lipid oxidation were studied by means of chemical analysis, namely peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and sensory evaluation (descriptive analysis), throughout 28-days of refrigerate storage. In addition near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was assessed as a rapid tool to evaluate TBARS content. Omega-3 enriched samples showed slightly higher levels of lipid oxidation than the control samples but microencapsulation of fish oil seemed to protect PUFAs, leading to a lower content of peroxides and a lower rate of formation of secondary compounds during storage. Addition of seaweed extracts did not affect lipid oxidation nor the quality of the products as evaluated with descriptive analysis. No off-flavor was detected in any of the samples and low scores in rancid odor and flavor were registered.