Influence of Pre-Treatment on the Seasonal Variation of Smoked Baltic Sprat Texture and Color

Abstract

The seasonal variation of Baltic sprat chemical composition leads to a change in smoked fish texture and color, which may pose challenges for industrial processing. This research aimed to evaluate the dependence of smoked sprat texture and color on the catching season and pre-treatment applied before the smoking of fish, following one year of frozen storage. Various proportions of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), and acetic acid were used in the solution for fish pre-treatment. The introduction of salts during the pre-treatment process for late-season fish has been found to enhance the texture of the smoked product. The color components of the lightness (L*) and redness (a*) measured on the smoked fish surface remained consistent throughout the catching season, whereas the yellowness (b*) showed a tendency to decrease towards the end of the season. Moreover, when acetic acid was applied to late-season fish, the yellowness of the smoked sprat surface increased compared to that of the sample without this pre-treatment. These findings suggest that the choice of pre-treatment methods can significantly improve the texture and color attributes of the smoked sprat, which is crucial for maintaining quality standards, especially in the context of industrial processing.