Effects of Added Phosphates on Lipid Stability During Salt Curing and Rehydration of Cod (Gadus morhua)

Effects of added phosphates on retardation of lipid oxidation of salted cod during processing, storage and after rehydration were investigated. Lipid hydrolysis progress and development of color, primary and secondary lipid oxidation products and fluorescence intensities were determined. Added phosphates significantly retarded lipid hydrolysis and lipid oxidation progress, resulting in lower free fatty acid , lipid hydroperoxides (PV), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) as well as fluorescence intensities (δF _or and δF _aq). Significant correlation between the lipid oxidation products (PV, TBARS, δF _or and δF _aq) and yellow/brownish discoloration (b* value) of salted cod was observed. Principal component analysis showed that TBARS, b* value and δF _or were the strongest indicators of lipid oxidation during salting and storage.     

The effects of salt-curing and salting procedures on the microstructure of cod (Gadus morhua) muscle

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of salting and different pre-salting procedures (injection and brining versus brining only) on the microstructure and water retention of heavy salted cod products. Salting resulted in shrinkage of fibre diameter and enlargement of inter-cellular space. Water was expelled from the muscle and a higher fraction became located in the extra-cellular matrix. These changes were suggested to originate from myofibrillar protein aggregation and enzymatic degradation of the connective tissue. During rehydration, the muscle absorbed water again and the fibers swelled up to a similar cross-sectional area as in the raw muscle. However, the inter-cellular space remained larger, resulting in a higher water content of the muscle in the rehydrated stage. The effects of different salting procedures were strongest after salting. At that stage of the process, the inter-cellular space tended to be larger in the injected and brined muscle than in the brined only.     

Shrimp processing assessed by low field nuclear magnetic resonance, near infrared spectroscopy, and physicochemical measurements--the effect of polyphosphate content and length of prebrining on shrimp muscle

The effect of using polyphosphates during prebrining and the effect of prebrining time of cold water shrimp (Pandalus borealis) was studied with low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) transverse relaxation time measurements (benchtop and unilateral) and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with the aim of improving shrimp processing. Strong calibrations were obtained for moisture content and water-holding capacity (WHC) using the NIR technique. Multivariate analysis indicated significant correlations between benchtop NMR parameters and moisture content and WHC, as measured with physicochemical methods and NIR spectroscopy. Significant correlations were also observed between NMR parameters and muscle pH, protein content, and phosphate content. The study showed that LF-NMR contribute to improved understanding of the shrimp brining process and to improved process control on-line or at-line, especially in combination with NIR measurements. However, optimization of the unilateral device is necessary.     

Genetic heterogeneity and penetrance analysis of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast cancer families. The Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium

The contribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to inherited breast cancer was assessed by linkage and mutation analysis in 237 families, each with at least four cases of breast cancer, collected by the Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium. Families were included without regard to the occurrence of ovarian or other cancers. Overall, disease was linked to BRCA1 in an estimated 52% of families, to BRCA2 in 32% of families, and to neither gene in 16% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6%-28%), suggesting other predisposition genes. The majority (81%) of the breast-ovarian cancer families were due to BRCA1, with most others (14%) due to BRCA2. Conversely, the majority of families with male and female breast cancer were due to BRCA2 (76%). The largest proportion (67%) of families due to other genes was found in families with four or five cases of female breast cancer only. These estimates were not substantially affected either by changing the assumed penetrance model for BRCA1 or by including or excluding BRCA1 mutation data. Among those families with disease due to BRCA1 that were tested by one of the standard screening methods, mutations were detected in the coding sequence or splice sites in an estimated 63% (95% CI 51%-77%). The estimated sensitivity was identical for direct sequencing and other techniques. The penetrance of BRCA2 was estimated by maximizing the LOD score in BRCA2-mutation families, over all possible penetrance functions. The estimated cumulative risk of breast cancer reached 28% (95% CI 9%-44%) by age 50 years and 84% (95% CI 43%-95%) by age 70 years. The corresponding ovarian cancer risks were 0.4% (95% CI 0%-1%) by age 50 years and 27% (95% CI 0%-47%) by age 70 years. The lifetime risk of breast cancer appears similar to the risk in BRCA1 carriers, but there was some suggestion of a lower risk in BRCA2 carriers <50 years of age.     

Influence of salt concentration on the salting kinetics of cod loin (Gadus morhua) during brine salting

The influence of different salt concentrations of 6%, 15%, 18% and 24% (w/w) on mass transfer of water and salt during brine salting of cod loins was studied. An increase in salt concentration accelerated water exudation and salt diffusion in the cod loins. Weight gain of the cod loins increased with decreasing salt concentration and the cod loins in the 6% brine had the highest process yield. The salting kinetic parameter values for total and water weight changes decreased with increasing salt concentration. Inversely, higher salting kinetic parameter values for salt weight changes were observed for higher brine concentrations. The samples brined at 18% and 24% had identical effective diffusion coefficients and the highest effective diffusion value was found in the cod loins brined at 15%.     

Process control of lightly salted wild and farmed Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) by brine injection, brining, and freezing--a low field NMR study

The aim of this study was to use low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and traditional chemical methods to investigate the physical and chemical differences in wild and farmed cod processed pre- and postrigor, and how these properties were affected by brine injection, brining, and freezing. In prerigor processed farmed or wild cod, brine injections followed by brining for 2 d, with brine concentrations up to 5.5% and 4%, respectively, were not sufficient to reach a muscle salt concentration of 2% as aimed for, while wild cod processed postrigor had sufficient salt uptake after the same processing. Low-field NMR gave valuable information about the differences in the muscle structure between wild and farmed cod as well as the state of the water in the muscle during brine injection, brining, and during rigor tension. Low-field NMR is, therefore, a valuable tool that can be used to optimize the salting and storing processes of lightly salted cod products from both wild and farmed cod. For farmed cod to be used in the production of lightly salted products further research is needed. Practical Application: Optimal processing of lightly salted cod products is important to the fish industry, due to an increasing market for this product in southern Europe. Farmed cod, which is seen as a potential steady raw material source for this production, differs considerably from its wild counterparts by having other chemical and physical muscle properties, such as lower water content and lower pH. With the processing procedures used today the farmed cod can, therefore, only be used in some of the products, where wild cod is currently used as raw material. It is, therefore, important that the processing of these products is optimized with regard to these differences in the raw material. This study gives a valuable contribution to further studies about optimal combinations of brine injections, brining, and freezing of pre- and postrigor processed farmed compared to wild cod.     

The effects of salt concentration on conformational changes in cod (Gadus morhua) proteins during brine salting

The effects of different salt concentrations (6%, 15%, 18% and 24% NaCl (w/w)) on the conformational changes of cod muscle proteins during brine salting were examined in this study. Proteins were extracted from the brine salted samples with solutions of 1 M (5.9%) and 4 M (23.4%) NaCl and the quantity of salt soluble proteins (SSP), disulfide bond (S–S), total sulfhydryl (SH) and available SH content in the soluble fraction were determined. Increased salt concentration in cod muscle promoted protein denaturation and aggregation. The SSP and total SH content decreased, whereas the S–S bond and available SH content increased with increased salt concentration in cod muscle. Disulfide bond formation correlated (r = −0.6) with a decrease in total SH groups. Higher SSP and available SH groups of the samples at lower brine concentrations was explained by smaller concentration gradients and salt diffusion rates, resulting in stronger salting-in at early stages of the brining process. There was a significant difference in conformational changes in proteins extracted with a salt solution of 1 and 4 M, mainly due to a different degree of protein aggregation.     

Effects of food container depth on the quality and yield of superchilled and iced Atlantic salmon

Insulated food containers of different sizes are commonly used to preserve the quality of perishable fresh fish products during transport and storage. The aim of the study was to explore the effects of packaging solutions with various depths on the quality of iced and superchilled farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Insulated containers of different depths (32, 42, and 60 cm) and 17-cm deep expanded polystyrene (EPS) boxes were used to simulate transport and storage of the fish. The fish quality was evaluated after 4, 10, and 14 days of storage, where measurements on drip loss, texture, cooking yield, sensory evaluation, water and lipid distribution, and characteristics analysis in the fish muscle by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were performed. Increased container depth from 32 to 42 cm increased the drip loss of superchilled salmon from 2.4% to 3.1% after 10 days of storage at −1°C. Iced storage of salmon for 10 days in EPS boxes resulted in less drip loss (0.5%) compared with superchilled salmon (1.5%) stored in EPS. The NMR analysis, sensory evaluation, texture analysis, and cooking yield did not reveal any major differences between salmon stored in containers of different depths. Iced storage increased pressure marks as compared with non-iced, superchilled storage in insulated containers. The results indicate that transport of whole salmon in reusable insulated plastic containers with a depth of 60 cm is possible without major quality changes observed for up to 10 days.     

Decision making in the cod industry based on recording and analysis of value chain data

The influence of catching and processing factors on fillet yield, gaping and number of nematodes in cod (Gadus morhua) was studied. The study was carried out in co-operation with four Icelandic fishery companies. Data on catch, condition of raw material and processing were linked together by tracing the cod from catch through primary processing. Analysis of these data show that important variables for profitability in the fish industry are strongly correlated to controllable variables, such as catch ground, catch method and age of raw material when processed. The results can aid in decision making for catching and processing cod, provided that strong relationship exist between different links in the value chain of cod.