Influence of mono- and divalent salts on water loss and properties of dry salted cod fillets

Abstract

Salted cod is a product highly appreciated by consumers, especially in Southern Europe and Latin America. In recent years there has been increasing consumer demand for products with low sodium content, and this has led the salting industry to seek new salt mixtures to help to reduce Na + levels without producing alterations in the properties of the final product. In this study, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was initially brined with various mixtures of salts based on NaCl, at various pH levels and including KCl, MgCl 2 and/or CaCl 2. After subsequent dry salting with NaCl, the Na + , K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ cation contents were evaluated, and also their effect on water loss, salt uptake, entry of chloride, water holding capacity (WHC), water extractable protein (WEP) and hardness of the end product. A greater presence of K + in muscle was associated with greater water loss, salt uptake and hardness of the dry salted product. Moreover, incorporation of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ 2 negatively affected water holding capacity. These changes were not dependent on brine pH and might significantly alter the acceptability of the final product.

Natural Preservatives for Extending the Shelf‐Life of Seafood: A Revisit

“…Nonetheless, accumulation of these synthetic preservatives in tissues can be detrimental to health (Özdemir, Turhan, & Arıkoğlu, ). Treatment with salt is one of the common and oldest natural preservative methods used widely for shelf‐life extension of seafood because of its low cost, as well as simplicity (Martínez‐Alvarez & Gómez‐Guillén, ). The effectiveness of salt as a preservative is solely due to its ability to reduce the water activity in the seafood muscle, thereby inhibiting the growth of bacteria and enzymatic activity.…”

Physicochemical characteristics, protein hydrolysis, and textual properties of surimi during fermentation withActinomucor elegans

“…The lowered water content might help maintain the shape and texture of the surimi curd during the later ripening stage. However, water loss and salt uptake would affect the conformation of muscle proteins, causing aggregation and denaturation, and resulted in greater hardness [17]. A much denser structure might affect the protein degradation by protease during the ripening stage, and further affect the nutritional compositions of the final surimi product.…”

Comparison of flavor changes of grass carp between brine injection and brining at 4°C and 20°C

“…Salting is a traditional processing method of aquatic products in the world, which is widely used because of low cost, simplicity of process, long shelf life and special relish (Martínez-Alvarez & Gómez-Guillén, 2013). However, excessive intake of salt is increasingly recognized as a serious, worldwide public health concern to give rise to high blood pressure and stomach cancer (Graudal et al, 2017;Tsugane, 2005).…”