BIOCHEMISTRY OF DRIED, FERMENTED, PICKLED, AND

SMOKED SEAFOOD

Salting, fermenting, marinating (pickling), drying, and smoking of fish and

marine invertebrates increase the shelf life and de- velop in the products’ desirable
sensory properties:
- A reduction in water activity from the addition of salt;
- A decrease in microbial load by the application of heat;
- The presence of inherent preservatives such as acetic acid;
- The use of chemical preservatives such as ascorbic acid, BHA, and
BHT; and the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of various smoke components.
There are some changes in proteins. In the salting of fish, salt will penetrate
slowly into the tissues, affecting the stability of the native proteins and reducing
their extractability. Heavily salted fish, when compared with less salted fish, has
the following disadvantages:
- More water loss due to osmosis
- Tougher texture
- Less developed flavor
It should be remembered that enzymes are also proteins, and their activities are
affected by salt concentration.
Another effect of salting is the changes in texture of the final product. It is
believed that the calcium and magnesium ions present as impurities in salt may
penetrate the fish, giving rise to a soft, “mushy” texture in the fillet.
Fermented fish paste and sauce are popular products prepared and consumed in
southern China and Southeast Asian countries Cathepsins A and C as well as
trypsin-like enzyme are endogenous proteases that appear to contribute to fish
sauce production both in yield and quality cathepsin D-like and aminopeptidase
activities release a large amount of free amino acids during roe processing and
contribute to the flavor. In the drying of squid, endogenous cathepsin C appears to
contribute to desirable qualities (texture and flavor) of traditional products. Added
trypsin appears to be a key enzyme contributing to the texture and flavor of
herring.
Marinating fish (mainly herring) by means of salt and acetic acid is one of the
oldest ways of preserving food in European countries. The acid condition of the
marinades, with pH 4–4.5, makes the tissue cathepsins much more active. This
results in the degradation of muscle proteins into peptides and amino acids. This
permits the marinade to create the proper flavor and texture in the product
 Smoke curing means the smoking of presalted fish. The ac- tion of the smoke
constituents produces a unique smoky odor, taste, and color. In cold-smoked fish,
this tenderization is caused predominately by the action of endogenous proteolytic
enzymes because of their activity at such ambient temperatures.

BIOCHEMISTRY OF THERMAL-PROCESSED PRODUCTS

Exposure of the fish to elevated temperatures is detrimental to tissue structure,
and results in very undesirable effects. Heat-stable alkaline proteases and neutral
proteases (modori or gel-degradation) are active when the temperature reaches 60–
70◦C. The rate of oxidation of desirable myoglobin and oxymyo- globin of the red
muscles of tuna to brown metmyoglobin de- pends on the species of the fish and on
the storage temperature. Color deterioration in iced and frozen stored bonito,
yellowfin, and skipjack tuna caught.
For example: It also inactivates the enzymes that can cause biochemical
deterioration of the raw materials, when exposed to elevated temperatures and
extended storage times.
During the canning of seafood, it is a common practice to precook the raw
materials.
For example: In manufacturing canned tuna, the fish is precooked and
permitted to cool completely, sometimes overnight, before the following steps: (1)
removal of skin, bones, dark meats, and viscera and (2) inspection for the presence
of defects.
For example: Honeycombed and/or burnt tissues.
It should be noted ethat honeycombed tissus are only de-
tectable in the cooked fish. In the production of canned crabmeat, the precooked
crab is cooled before the extraction of crabmeat. This is especially important in
products like crab and shrimp, as the deteriorating enzymes can act very quickly on
these tissues at elevated temperatures. However, there are exceptions where the
raw fish is not precooked in order to preserve the premium quality.
Thermal processing of seafood such as canning and mild heat treatment attempts
to produce a final product with long shelf life and favorable consumer acceptance
REFERENCES
Al-Kahtani HA et al. 1996. Chemical changes after irradiation and post-
irradiation storage in tilapia and Spanish mackerel. J Food Sci 61(4): 729–733.
Amano K, Yamada K. 1965. The biological formation of formalde- hyde in cod
fish. In: R Kreuzer (ed.) The Technology of Fish Utilization. Fishing News Books,
London, pp. 73