CHANGES IN COMPOSITION OF LIPIDS, FREE AMINO-ACIDS AND ORGANIC-ACIDS IN RICE-BRAN-FERMENTED SARDINE (ETRUMEUS-TERES) DURING PROCESSING AND SUBSEQUENT STORAGE

Changes in composition of lipids, free amino acids and organic acids in rice-bran-fermented sardine-one of the traditional marine products of Japan-were investigated. The moisture content decreased rapidly during pre-curing and then slowly during rice bran fermentation. The salt content of the finished product was about 234 g kg-1 on a dry weight basis. The pH decreased from 6.1 in the raw sardine to 5.3 in the finished product. Total volatile basic nitrogen increased up to 1.0 g kg-1 after 2 months of rice bran fermentation and then remained almost unchanged. Most free amino acids except histidine and taurine increased during rice bran fermentation. The histamine content increased to 0.75 g kg-1 at 2 months of rice bran fermentation and subsequently decreased gradually. Certain polyamines also accumulated on relatively lower levels. Lactic acid (8.14 g kg-1 at 2 months of rice bran fermentation) was a prominent organic acid produced during processing. Considerable decompositions of triglyceride and phospholipids occurred accompanied by production and accumulation of a correspondingly high concentration of free fatty acids. The peroxide value and the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the extracted total lipids decreased gradually during rice bran fermentation. It was concluded that lipid oxidation was restricted during rice bran fermentation although remarkable proteolysis occurred. The present traditional manufacturing process seems to be applicable to the technology of processing and subsequent preservation of fish products in the developing countries.