TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES ON OCEAN POUT, AN UNEXPLOITED FISH SPECIES, FOR DIRECT HUMAN CONSUMPTION

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ocean Pout, an under‐utilized fish species, is present in abundance during the winter season in the New England Atlantic waters. The shelf life of the intact fish was estimated to be 6–8 days in ice, which coincided with an abrupt increase in the ratio of proteolytic to total bacterial count and also coincided with the intersection of the curves of increasing tyrosine value and decreasing NPN. The parasitic lesions, which are easily detectable by candling, possess high proteolytic activity which could be abolished by soaking the fillets in either water or brine. The fillets showed an average loss of 40% of the weight, length and volume after heating in various media and for different times. Among the prefreezing treatments, TPP was the most effective in reducing the drip and maintaining high protein solubility, while the citrate/ascorbate dip was the most protective against lipid oxidation.