This study compared the food quality of freshwater rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss cultured (in Pyeongchang, Pyeongtaek, Jecheon and Geochang) with that of imported salmon Oncorhynchus keta. The proximate composition of the four types of rainbow trout was 74.4-75.7% moisture, 18.3-19.4% crude protein, 3.1-4.3% crude lipid, and 1.3-1.7% ash. There were slight differences in the proximate composition of the four types of rainbow trout. No significant (P>0.05) differences were found in the red color and odor and taste intensities of the four types of rainbow trout based on the Hunter a values, volatile basic nitrogen content, odor intensity using an electronic nose and taste intensity using an electronic tongue. The crude protein, total amino acid, and mineral contents of rainbow trout cultured in Pyeongtaek were superior or similar to those of the trout cultured in the other three places. The rainbow trout cultured in Geochang had the highest hardness, at 858.5 g.

Large quantities of by-products-such as fish frame, head, skin and viscera-are generated during seafood processing, and these by-products are not utilized extensively. Therefore, sea rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (SRT) frame muscle (FM) jerky was prepared by grinding SRT-FM, followed by mixing with seasoning, forming and drying. The nutritional and microbiological characteristics of the SRT-FM jerky were then investigated. The proximate composition of the SRT-FM jerky was 19.1% moisture, 38.7% crude protein, 7.9% crude lipid and 4.4% ash. The viable bacterium count of the SRT-FM jerky was 3.9 log CFU/g, and Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected. The total amino acid content of SRT-FM jerky was 37.3 g/100 g, and the major amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, leucine and lysine. Based on the recommended daily intake of fish jerky (100 g), the most abundant mineral was potassium. The fatty acid composition of the SRT-FM jerky was 26.2% saturated acid, 34.5% monoenoic acid and 39.3% polyenoic acid, and the major fatty acids were 16:0, 18:1n-9, 18:2n-6, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3. These results suggest that SRT-FM jerky has high nutritional value.