Collagen content in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar,L.) and subsequent changes in solubility during storage on ice

To elucidate whether collagen is an important factor for fish flesh quality, the collagen content and its changes in solubility during storage on ice in muscle of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, L.) were measured. The contents of acidsoluble, pepsin-soluble and insoluble collagen in white muscle were determined in fresh fish muscle and at the end of 5, 10 and 15 days storage on ice. Total collagen was found to be 0.66% of fresh weight, with a relative distribution of 6% acidsoluble, 93% pepsin-soluble and 1% insoluble collagen. During storage on ice, a progressive change in solubility of muscle collagen was found. For insoluble collagen, significantly lower values were detected at day 15 compared to day 0. A minor, but even increase in acid-soluble collagen was found from day 0, while no changes were seen in pepsin-soluble collagen during storage. These results show that collagen fibres of farmed Atlantic salmon have a high solubility in acid and salt solutions and contain few cross-links. Some cleavage of intermolecular cross-links seems to occur during storage on ice.     

Fatty acid composition in ocean-ranched Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Summary  The difference in fat content and fatty acid composition in the muscle of one-and two-year-old ocean-ranched Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) was studied and compared using spot samples. The fat content in the muscle of 1-year-old salmon was 4.8% of wet weight, and 5.0% in 2-year-old salmon. The effect was not statistically significant. The main constituents of the fat were palmitic acid (16:0), oleic acid (18:1,n-9), gadoleic acid (20:1,n-9) and erucic acid (22:1,n-9). Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were predominant among the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). There was a significant difference between the groups in relation to the content of stearic acid (18:0), palmitoleic acid (16:1,n-9) and oleic acid (18:1,n-9).     

Textural and ultrastructural changes during processing and storage of lightly preserved salmon (Salmo salar) products

The effect of a controlled lactic fermentation on textural and ultrastructural properties of salmon fillets was evaluated. When compared with a non‐inoculated cured sample, fermented salmon had unique textural properties since it exhibited significantly higher force (p < 0.05) and work (p < 0.001) values in a penetration test on two sampling days but a consistently lower hardness (p < 0.05) in a Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) rheological test. Study of the myofibrillar ultrastructure showed that basic structures were drastically damaged during processing and storage of fermented and cured salmon. Nevertheless, Z‐lines were better preserved in fermented samples. It is suggested that the slight protective effect of lactic fermentation with the starter L sake may be the consequence of a lower pH, by putatively inhibiting neutral or alkaline proteolytic enzymes. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Persistence and distribution of intravenously injected DNA in blood and organs of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

In a recent study it was reported that DNA could be taken up from the feed and transferred to the blood of Atlantic salmon (Nielsen CR, Berdal KG, Bakke-McKellep AM, Holst-Jensen A, Eur Food Res Tech, 2005). In the present study the transport in blood and accumulation in some organs of intravenously injected DNA was studied. Intravenous injection was used as an alternative to feeding to ensure that the quantity of target DNA would permit a quantitative study of the distribution and degradation of the DNA in the fish. Three DNA fragments of different length were administered by injection to 40 salmon, each in a copy number of 10¹⁰. Blood and tissues were sampled at different time intervals after injection. To ensure the use of a sensitive and reliable detection system, real-time PCR methods with TaqMan chemistry were applied in this study. Target DNA was observed in blood and all investigated tissues, with peak levels observed at 0.5–1 h after injection. Some tissue samples were positive for the target DNA up to 24 h after injection. Results of the present study indicate that dietary DNA taken up in the blood may be transported to organs like liver and kidney, as well as muscle and gonads.     

Quality grading of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) by computer vision

ABSTRACT:  In this study, we present a promising method of computer vision-based quality grading of whole Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). Using computer vision, it was possible to differentiate among different quality grades of Atlantic salmon based on the external geometrical information contained in the fish images. Initially, before the image acquisition, the fish were subjectively graded and labeled into grading classes by a qualified human inspector in the processing plant. Prior to classification, the salmon images were segmented into binary images, and then feature extraction was performed on the geometrical parameters of the fish from the grading classes. The classification algorithm was a threshold-based classifier, which was designed using linear discriminant analysis. The performance of the classifier was tested by using the leave-one-out cross-validation method, and the classification results showed a good agreement between the classification done by human inspectors and by the computer vision. The computer vision-based method classified correctly 90% of the salmon from the data set as compared with the classification by human inspector. Overall, it was shown that computer vision can be used as a powerful tool to grade Atlantic salmon into quality grades in a fast and nondestructive manner by a relatively simple classifier algorithm. The low cost of implementation of today's advanced computer vision solutions makes this method feasible for industrial purposes in fish plants as it can replace manual labor, on which grading tasks still rely.     

Toxicokinetic model assessment on the dechlorination of dietary toxaphene CHB-62 into CHB-44 in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

European Union legislation on the upper limits of toxaphene in feed and food include the congeners CHB-26, CHB-62 and CHB-50 and is set at 50 µg kg^?1 feed for the sum of these three congeners. However, due to their elevated presence in fish, the congeners CHB-40 and CHB-41, CHB-44, and CHB-42 should also be included according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2005. Earlier trials with model zebra fish have shown in vivo dechlorination of dietary CHB-62 to CHB-44 and, to a lesser degree, of CHB-50 to CHB-40. Biomagnification patterns of Atlantic salmon, fed with technical toxaphene-enriched feeds, indicated that Atlantic salmon have a similar dechlorination. In the present study, a serial one-compartment physiological kinetic model, which includes differentiated growth of body components, is used to quantify the contribution of dechlorination to the congener-specific fillet accumulation of a mixture of dietary toxaphene congeners in Atlantic salmon. The model is assessed from experimental uptake and elimination kinetics of Atlantic salmon smolt fed with technical toxaphene for 122 days followed by a depuration period of 75 days in which the fish were fed toxaphene-free control feed. The serial one-compartment model shows that about 31% of CHB-44 that accumulated in the fillet originated from dietary CHB-62. In contrast, dechlorination of CHB-50 into CHB-40 is not significant. The results show that previously demonstrated in vivo dechlorination of CHB-62 into CHB-44 in zebra fish also occurs in the farmed fish species Atlantic salmon. This dechlorination can at least partly explain the relatively elevated CHB-44 observed in toxaphene fish surveys.     

Injection-salting of pre rigor fillets of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

ABSTRACT:  The effects of temperature (−1, 4, and 10 °C), brine concentration (12% and 25% NaCl), injection volumes, and needle densities were investigated on fillet weight gain (%), salt content (%), fillet contraction (%), and muscle gaping in pre rigor brine-injected fillets of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). Increased brine concentration (12% to 25%) significantly increased the initial (< 5 min after injection) and final contraction (24 h after injection) of pre rigor fillets. Increased brine concentration significantly reduced weight gain and increased salt content but had no significant effect on muscle gaping. The temperatures tested did not significantly affect weight gain, fillet contraction, or gaping score. Significant regressions ( P < 0.01) between the injection volume and weight gain (range: 2.5% to 15.5%) and salt content (range: 1.7% to 6.5%) were observed for injections of pre rigor fillets. Double injections significantly increased the weight gain and salt content compared to single injections. Initial fillet contraction measured 30 min after brine injection increased significantly ( P < 0.01) with increasing brine injection volume but no significant difference in the fillet contraction was observed 12 h after brine injection (range: 7.9% to 8.9%). Brine-injected post rigor control fillets obtained higher weight gain, higher salt content, more muscle gaping, and significantly lower fillet contraction compared to the pre rigor injected fillets.
Injection-salting is an applicable technology as a means to obtain satisfactory salt contents and homogenously distribute the salt into the muscle of pre rigor fillets of Atlantic salmon before further processing steps such as drying and smoking.     

Dietary DNA in blood and organs of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The objective of this study was to investigate the uptake of dietary DNA into blood, kidney, and liver of salmon, and to determine the DNA fragment size if dietary DNA was detected. Salmon in groups of five fish were force-fed a feed containing a high copy number of three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified DNA fragments. Tissue samples were dissected from the fish at time intervals starting at 1 h after force-feeding (AFF) and ending at 64 h AFF. Real-time PCR analyses were used to determine the presence or absence of DNA targets. Sensitive methods amplifying small fragments were used to minimise the impact of fragmentation on the detectability of DNA targets. Uptake of dietary DNA was observed and the highest concentrations of dietary DNA in liver and kidney were found 8 h AFF. The results correspond to data published for similar trials performed on other animal species. An additional experiment showed that decontamination of the liver surface by flaming has the potential to decrease DNA contamination from, for example, feed remnants by up to 90%.     

Absence of nematodes in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Norway

In the present study, a total of 1,180 samples of muscle or viscera from Norwegian-farmed salmon (Salmo salar L.) were examined for the presence of nematode larvae. The samples represented all salmon-producing counties in Norway. The method applied was based on the degradation of fish soft tissue in an acidified pepsin enzyme solution. None of the samples examined in this study contained nematodes.     

The texture of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) muscle as measured instrumentally using TPA and Warner–Brazler shear test

Muscle texture measurements were performed on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) using two different instrumental methods; The Texture Profile Analysis, which is a uniaxial compression test, and the Warner–Brazler shear test. The performances of the two tests were evaluated as to their ability to differentiate between recently killed salmon and salmon stored on ice for up to 24 days. Both tests performed well, but the shear test was slightly more sensitive than the compression test. Further, salmon were either starved or fed for two weeks prior to slaughter. The muscle from fed salmon lost its strength slightly faster than that from starved salmon, but this difference was only detectable during the first two days of chilled storage. The effects of temperature, fish size and degree and mode of deformation on the instrumental test results were studied and were found to be significant. Also, the sample geometry, ie the thickness of the fillet was found to have a very significant effect on the TPA-test results. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Computer vision-based sorting of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fillets according to their color level

ABSTRACT:  Computer vision method was used to evaluate the color of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) fillets. Computer vision-based sorting of fillets according to their color was studied on 2 separate groups of salmon fillets. The images of fillets were captured using a digital camera of high resolution. Images of salmon fillets were then segmented in the regions of interest and analyzed in red, green, and blue (RGB) and CIE Lightness, redness, and yellowness (Lab) color spaces, and classified according to the Roche color card industrial standard. Comparisons of fillet color between visual evaluations were made by a panel of human inspectors, according to the Roche Salmo Fan™ lineal standard, and the color scores generated from computer vision algorithm showed that there were no significant differences between the methods. Overall, computer vision can be used as a powerful tool to sort fillets by color in a fast and nondestructive manner. The low cost of implementing computer vision solutions creates the potential to replace manual labor in fish processing plants with automation.     

The Effect of Stunning Methods and Season on Muscle Texture Hardness in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Commercially collected records of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) muscle texture hardness were used to evaluate the effect of slaughter procedures and seasonality on texture quality. A database collected by Marine Harvest® contained flesh hardness records of Atlantic salmon slaughtered at processing plants in Norway from summer 2010 to summer 2011. The fish were slaughtered either by (1) percussion followed by automated bleeding (“Percussive”) or (2) live chilling with exposure to carbon dioxide (CO₂) followed by manual severing gill arches and bleeding (“CO₂”) or (3) live chilling with exposure to CO₂ followed by percussive stunning and at the end automated bleeding (“CO₂·percussive”). Hardness in salmon muscle cutlets was measured in Newtons (N) by Materials Testing Machine Zwick 500N. The hardness in salmon varied significantly over the study period (P < 0.05, mixed effect model) and showed the softest value of 21.2 (± 0.7) Newton (N) in summer 2011 and hardest 24.1 (± 0.2) N in autumn 2010. Slaughter procedures had a significant effect on salmon muscle hardness (P < 0.05, mixed effect model), where percussion followed by automated bleeding resulted in the hardest value (24.0 ± 0.4 N) as compared with CO₂ stunning (21.8 ± 0.2 N) and combination of CO₂ and percussive stunning (23.1 ± 0.15 N). CO₂ is suspected as a causal factor in accelerated postmortem softening of the salmon muscle.     

State diagram of salmon (Salmo salar) gelatin films

BACKGROUND: A state diagram presents different physical states of a biomaterial as a function of solid content and temperature. Despite their technological interest, little information is available on protein systems such as gelatin/water mixtures. The objective of this work was to develop state diagrams of salmon gelatin (SG) and bovine gelatin (BG) in order to determine maximal freeze concentration parameters (T′_g, T′_m and X_s′) and to relate possible differences to their biochemical characteristics. RESULTS: Biochemical characterisation of SG showed lower molecular weight and iminoacid concentration compared with BG. Likewise, the glass transition temperature (T_g) was lower for SG at X_s > 0.8, which was associated with its lower molecular weight. Unexpectedly, the depression of freezing temperature (T_f) was greater for SG at X_s > 0.1, which was associated with its higher ash content. Isothermal annealing produced effective values of T′_g ≈ ? 52 °C, T′_m ≈ ? 46 °C and X′_s ≈ 0.6 for both gelatins. Interestingly, the enthalpy change associated with T′_m (ΔH) was significantly higher for SG than for BG after annealing, indicating a higher proportion of ice present at about ? 50 °C. CONCLUSION: Maximal freeze concentration parameters were similar between the two gelatins, though differences in biochemical properties were evident. The results show that there are likely different ways of interaction of SG and BG with water. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Persistence of orally administered Salmonella enterica serovars Agona and Montevideo in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The objective of our experiments was to study the persistence and dissemination of orally administered Salmonella in smoltified Atlantic salmon. In experiment 1, salmon kept at 15 degrees C were fed for 1 week with feed contaminated with 96 most-probable-number units of Salmonella Agona per 100 g of feed and then starved for 2 weeks. Samples were taken from the gastrointestinal tract and examined for Salmonella 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 days after the feeding ended. In experiment 2, Salmonella Agona and Montevideo were separately mixed with feed and administered by gastric intubation. Each fish received 1.0 x 10(8), 1.0 x 10(6), or 1.0 x 10(4) CFU. The different groups were kept in parallel at 5 and 15 degrees C and observed for 4 weeks. Every week, three fish in each group were sacrificed, and samples were taken from the skin, the pooled internal organs, the muscle, and the gastrointestinal tract and examined for the presence of Salmonella. The results from the two experiments showed that the persistence of Salmonella in the fish was highly dependent on the dose administered. Salmonella was not recovered from any of the fish that were fed for 1 week with the lowest concentration of Salmonella. In the fish given the highest dose of Salmonella, bacteria persisted for at least 4 weeks in the gastrointestinal tract as well as, to some extent, the internal organs. The present study shows that under practical conditions in Norway, the risk of Salmonella in fish feed being passed on to the consumer of the fish is negligible.     

Lipase-Assisted Concentration of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids from Viscera of Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.)

ABSTRACT: In fish processing, viscera are generally considered waste products and often discarded. Our research objective was to use Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) viscera as a source of fish oil and to increase its concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by lipase-assisted hydrolysis. Lipids from fillets and viscera had similar fatty acid compositions. After the enzymatic hydrolysis, acylglycerols were isolated from free fatty acids, therefore increasing the concentrations of EPA and DHA in the acylglycerols. Among the 6 commercial lipases investigated, lipases from Pseudomonas cepacia and Candida rugosa were the most effective following incubation of viscera oil at 35 °C for 20 h. Salmon viscera were a good source for fish oil, and the concentration of DHA and EPA was doubled by using microbial lipases.