Chemical Changes During Freezing and Frozen Storage of Fish Investigated by Vibrational Spectroscopy

Abstract

Chemical and structural analyses of deteriorative changes occurring upon freezing and frozen storage can provide an essential framework for understanding the molecular mechanisms of loss of fish quality. Raman and infrared spectroscopies have proven to be useful tools to study composition and structural changes in solid and liquid food systems, with the importance advantage of analyzing samples in situ. Therefore we review, in this chapter, the current knowledge of the applications of these techniques from the said point of view, and with the aim of helping in the design of strategies for prolonging storage life, process optimization, and quality control of fish and fish products.

Protein Signatures to Trace Seafood Contamination and Processing

“…Regarding protein analysis, correlations between the IR and Raman spectra and protein secondary structure are well established and they can also be used to gather information about the local environments of protein side chains. Water molecular species, mostly corresponding to stretching (ν) and bending (δ) vibration bands, are also observed in different regions of a spectrum, while for muscle structural analyses the most useful water bands are those of ν (O-H) IR and Raman vibrations [115].…”