A comparative study of Atlantic salmon chilled in refrigerated seawater versus on ice: from whole fish to cold-smoked fillets

Abstract

Water and salt uptake, and water holding capacity (WHC) of whole gutted Atlantic salmon superchilled at sub-zero temperatures in refrigerated seawater (RSW) were compared to traditional ice storage. Following the entire value chain, the whole salmon was further processed, and fillets were either chilled on ice or dry salted and cold-smoked. Changes in quality parameters including colour, texture, enzyme activity and microbial counts were also analyzed for 3 weeks. Our results showed that when fish were removed from the RSW tank after 4 days and further chilled for 3 days, an overall weight gain of 0.7%, salt uptake of 0.3% and higher WHC were observed. In contrast, ice-stored fish had a total weight loss of 1% and steady salt uptake of 0.1%. After filleting, raw fillets from whole fish initially immersed in RSW had better gaping occurrence, softer texture, lower cathepsin B + L activity but higher microbiological growth. Otherwise, there were no differences in drip loss nor colour (L*a*b*) on both raw and smoked fillets from RSW and iced fish. Storage duration significantly affected quality parameters including drip loss, colour, texture, enzyme activity and microbial counts in raw fillets and drip loss, WHC, redness and yellowness in smoked fillets.

Effect of Cold Smoking and Natural Antioxidants on Quality Traits, Safety and Shelf Life of Farmed Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) Fillets, as a Strategy to Diversify Aquaculture Products

“…The parameter a* decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during the shelf life in both treatments (S and SA). This decreased redness, mainly caused by the smoking process, has also been reported in salmon [51]; in fact, a general tendency has been observed in cold-smoked salmon to be darker and less red [51].…”

“…Changes in the WHC detected in fresh and smoked meagre during their shelf life are shown in Figure 3. The WHC is considered one of the most important parameters for preserving the fish quality and can influence the appearance and texture of fresh and processed fish products and, thus, the sensory quality of food [51,60,61].…”

Assessment of the Effects of Salt and Salicornia herbacea L. on Physiochemical, Nutritional, and Quality Parameters for Extending the Shelf-Life of Semi-Dried Mullets (Chelon haematocheilus)

“…group. With the salted semi-drying method, fish muscle and fat can take up salt and lose water [ 33 ]. However, salinity is one of the risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension [ 34 ].…”

CHANGES IN MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY AND SAFETY OF VACUUM-PACKED COLD-SMOKED SALMON (Salmo salar) DURING STORAGE

“…In the case of smoked-salmon, the roles of the microflora are not as clear as many authors have shown, in that there is no correlation between shelf life and LAB count, or any other bacterial number (Dodds et al, 1992;Chan et al, 2020). They may be found in high numbers before the product is spoiled (Truelstrup et al, 1996).…”

“…pH in CSS varies between 6 and 6.3 (Gram, 2001). CSS is considered a delicacy commonly consumed as a 'ready-to-eat' (RTE) product without heat treatment (Gram and Huss, 1996;Chan et al, 2020). The production and consumption of cold smoked salmon have been increasing in the last decade; for example, Spain represents the sixth highest European country in terms of consumption of smoked salmon (IRI, 2015).…”