Effect of soaking with hydrogen peroxide and carbonate/bicarbonate buffer solutions on chemical composition and protein extractability of desalted cod

Cod salted with various combinations of NaCl, KCl, MgCl₂ and CaCl₂ were soaked for the first 24 h with a 0.2 M carbonate buffer solution (pH 9.5) or for the first 5 h with 1% hydrogen peroxide (pH 7.16). Chloride, ions and ash content in muscle were measured during the soaking process. After soaking, the composition of soluble muscle protein extracted in NaCl 0.86 M was determined by SDS-PAGE. The divalent, cation content was not affected by the salting and soaking processes. The protein extractability was low, especially when H₂O₂ was used. The use of alkaline buffer solution produced better protein functional quality. When the alkaline solution was used for soaking, the soluble fraction was constituted of a larger variety of proteins. Actin was soluble only when MgCl₂ and KCl were used for salting and the alkaline solution for soaking. The use of carbonate/bicarbonate buffer solution for soaking could therefore be useful to improve the functional quality of muscle protein of desalted cod.