Sammendrag
Fresh Atlantic cod is available in large amounts in Norway during the first 5
months of the year. Live-storage of cod may extend the marketing period of
fresh cod products throughout the year. In addition, this concept makes
pre-rigor processing possible. The main problem of keeping wild cod in
captivity is that it does not easily accept formulated dry feed. The purpose
of this study was, therefore, to investigate how long-term live-storage of
mature Atlantic cod in the absence of feed (79 days) affects the onset and
development of rigor mortis, as well as fillet quality by assessing hardness
and water-holding capacity of the muscle, pH, protein, and water content.
The results showed that starvation of Atlantic cod for 23 days reduces the
pre-rigor time from 29 to 17 h. Further starvation did not decrease this
period significantly, suggesting that live-stored cod deprived of feed for
79 days may still be industrially processed before the onset of rigor mortis.
More than 51 days of starvation reduced protein concentration and
increased water content of the muscle. After 51 days, the muscle texture
was softer than in fish starved for a shorter period.
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