| Abstract: | Influence of seasonal variation (February, July and October), time elapsed before freezing, and type of processing of the muscle on several functional properties (protein solubility, emulsifying capacity, and viscosity) in two species of fish with differing seasonal behavior (hake and sardine) were studied. Correlations between the changes in these functional properties during frozen storage were established. Although proximate analyses of the hake muscle were similar throughout the year, significant differences were observed in viscosity and protein solubility during storage between lots of fish caught in different seasons. Changes in the functional properties were less evident in sardine, which undergoes wide seasonal variations. The larger differences in the functional proprities of hake muscle, depending on season, were related to differences in the dimethylamine content after the fifth month of frozen storage. High correlations were established between functional properties in fish caught in the same or different seasons. Any of the three functional properties studied can be used as a suitable index of the quality of frozen fish, irrespective of the different conditions studied. |
