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Sigurjón Arason
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Shelf life tests on cod pieces: Effects of supercooling, pickling and gas packaging on the physical and chemical properties of cod muscles
An integrated refrigeration study was carried out on the effect of salting, different packaging methods and salting methods as well as the effect of subcooling on the quality and shelf life of cod muscles. The results show that storage is a more desirable salting method than injection salting from a microbiological point of view and with regard to drip and boiling efficiency. However, if the salinity during storage becomes too high, the muscle will gel. In the experiment, it was not considered to improve the quality of the fish to inject proteins into the muscle in addition to the salt. Microbial growth and the amount of wandering alkali decrease with decreasing temperature, so it is desirable to keep the temperature as low as possible, without the fish freezing. At -4 ° C, the surface of the fish in all groups, regardless of salinity, was frozen and the ice crystal formation increased with storage time. This ice crystal formation took place much more slowly at -2 ° C and is therefore considered a desirable storage temperature for lightly salted cod muscles. Air-packed packaging (MAP) also proved to be a more desirable storage method than foam packaging, as microbial growth and increase in erratic base was slower in the MAP packaging, which led to longer shelf life.
A combined cooling experiment was performed upon the effect of salting, different packaging and salting methods as well as the effect of superchilling on the quality and shelf life of cod muscle. The results show that brining is a better salting method that brine injection in terms of bacterial growth as well as increased yield. On the other hand, if the salt concentration becomes too high, gelation of the muscle proteins begins. The study also showed that injection of proteins along with salt injection did not improve the quality of the muscle. Microflora and the formation of volatile nitrogen bases decreased with lowering temperatures. It is therefore preferred to store fish at as low temperatures as possible, without letting the muscle water freeze. At -4 ° C the water at the muscle surface was frozen in all groups, independent of salt content, and the ice crystallization increased with storage time. This crystallization was much slower at -2 ° C and therefore this temperature is recommended for storage of light salted cod muscle. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) turned out to be a better packaging method than Styrofoam packaging, since the increase in bacterial growth and volatile nitrogen bases was slower in the MAP. This also lead to increased shelf life.