Wet salting of low-fat yellowtail (Trachurus rnccuffochi Nichols) using three brine solutions (15%, 21 ' YO and saturated salt) and drying of salted fish at 35°C and 50% RH, 45°C and 30% RH, or 55°C and 18% RH was carried out and assessments made of salt and moisture contents, water activity ( a w ) , and sensory properties of dried-salted fish. Brine concentration during salting and the drying conditions had a significant effect on the drying rate. Brining in saturated brine gave the most rapid rate of reduction in moisture content and the lowest final moisture content during brining, but produced a slower rate of reduction of moisture and higher final moisture content during drying. Fish brined in saturated salt and dried at 55°C was of lower sensory quality.

Wet salting of low-fat yellowtail (Trachurus mccullochi Nichols) in 5%, lo%, 15%, 21% and saturated brine solutions at 25°C and 35"C, and desalting of salt-saturated fish, was carried out and assessment made of the salt content, moisture content, water activity and rate of water transfer. Brine concentration, fish shape and brine temperature had a sign$cant effect ( P < 0.01) on both equilibrium salt content (X:) and rate of salt uptake ( k J . In whole and splitjsh. the rate of salt uptake increased with an increase in brine concentration, while moisture loss occurred only in j s h brined in from 1. 5% up to saturated brine. In whole j s h , the rate of salt loss during the desalting process was nearly the same as the rate of salt uptake during the salting process, while in splitjsh the rate of salt loss was faster than the rate of salt uptake.

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