Effect of brining and frozen storage on physicochemical properties of well-fed Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) intended for hot smoking and canning

Investigating commercially relevant packaging solutions to improve storage stability of mechanically filleted Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) produced under industrial conditions

“…The results are in agreement with others reporting the efficacy of reduced-oxygen packaging for mitigating the lipid oxidation in mackerel [31,37]. The inclusion of the seawater in vacuum packaging led to a significantly higher TBARS value in VAC-S than VAC-G after 8 months, indicating that the increased salt content turned mackerel muscle more prone to lipid oxidation during storage [1,27]. NaCl can be pro-oxidative e.g.…”

“…The average water and lipid content of the mackerel raw material were 59.0 ± 2.2% and 21.1 ± 2.8%, respectively, and neither was significantly affected by storage time nor packaging method. The average values obtained were comparable to earlier reported values for mackerel caught in the Icelandic waters, where significant geographical and annual variations have been reported [26,27,29]. VAC-S had a significantly higher salt content (0.78 ± 0.13%) than the other fillets (GL, VAC-G, SL) (0.28 ± 0.044%) and WF (0.38 ± 0.084%), possibly due to increased contact with water during the filleting and glazing operations.…”

“…Tzikas et al [37] reported the preservative effect of vacuum packaging on FFA increase in skinned horse mackerel fillets only up to 3 months at − 18 °C. Besides catching season and geographical variation [4,29], storage time and temperature [27,28], raw material/sample composition [8,33], temperature fluctuation [26] has been shown to account for an accelerated increase in FFA during storage. Similarly in this study, processing of mackerel including filleting, handling, double-freezing and glazing may have promoted the subsequent hydrolytic activity of the lipid constituents possibly due to the associated temperature fluctuation, accounting for the higher levels of FFA in the fillets than the whole fish regardless the packaging methods.…”

“…Brining at low NaCl-concentrations has been shown to improve the WHC and cooking yield of fish muscle (e.g. with a salt content ~ 1%) due to salt-induced swelling [27,36], but this positive effect of the salt was not observed for VAC-S, which contained on the average 0.78 ± 0.13% NaCl.…”

Effect of incorporation of natural chemicals in water ice‐glazing on freshness and shelf‐life of Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) during −18 °C frozen storage

“…However, a significant decrease in fish freshness can occur during frozen storage due to slow microbial growth and enzymatic activities in muscle tissues, consequently negatively affecting freshness and acceptability . Many studies have reported that the shelf‐life of fish (especially mackerel, tuna, Pacific saury, sardine and bonito) is usually several months during storage at temperatures between −18 and −30 °C . On the other hand, huge amounts of energy input and cost‐incurring resources such as equipment, packaging, preservatives, etc.…”