Effects of different salting and smoking processes on the microstructure, the texture and yield of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fillets

The effect of different conditions during the salting and smoking process on the microstructure and the texture of salmon fillets was studied in interaction with different raw salmon material; ocean-ranched Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from Iceland and two groups of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from Norway, one from Northern Norway and one from Western Norway. The ocean-ranched salmon was found to have significantly smaller fiber diameters and higher shear force compared to the farmed fish. The cross-sectional area of the muscle fibers decreased during the salting and smoking process. Small differences were noted in the cross-sectional area between smoked fillets processed by different salting and smoking methods. However, the cross-sectional area of fibers in dry salted fish fillets from the farmed groups were significantly smaller than in the brine salted fillets, as the fibers shrunk more during dry salting than brine salting. The force required to shear the smoked fillets was significantly higher than for the unprocessed fillets, but was not found to be related to the different salting and smoking processes. Yield during smoking was not related to the initial cross-sectional area or the shear force of the unprocessed muscle. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.