GROSS COMPOSITION, SENSORY EVALUATION, AND COLD-STORAGE STABILITY OF UNDERUTILIZED DEEP-SEA PACIFIC RATTAIL FISH, CORYPHAENOIDES-ACROLEPIS

Pacific rattail (grenadier) fish (Coryphaenoides acrolepis), relatively abundant underutilized deep sea fish off the coast of California, were retrieved and analyzed for gross composition, sensory attributes, consumer acceptance, and storage stability characteristics. Representative fillet samples analyzed contained an average of 14.1% protein, 1% ash, low lipid (0.5%), and relatively high moisture (84.2%). While differing in sensory attributes and slightly in gross composition from commercially frozen Icelandic cod (Gadus morhua), a fish with similar taxonomy and demonstrated consumer acceptance, Pacific rattails were “liked moderately” by sensory judges and compared favorably with cod in both preference and hedonic tests. Their iced cold storage stability over a 20‐day period was judged to be excellent. Overall decreased iodine values (i.e., lipid oxidation) and increased hypoxanthine (i.e., nucleotide degradation) content were measured during storage. No evidence of proteolysis was found for up to 15 days of cold storage by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However, significant changes in sensory attributes, odor, texture, moisture were not noted until after 15 days storage and acceptance dropped only slightly and not significantly even after 20 days. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved