Effect of Magnesium Sulphate and Cryoprotective Agents on Free Fatty Acid Formation in Cold-Stored Fish Muscle
Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) muscle was stored in 5% MgSO4 in Ringer's solution, 15% dimethyl sulphoxide in Ringer's solution, and 6% dextran in 0.9% NaCl, at −10 C for periods of 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The regular increase in free fatty acid (FFA) content was used as an index of muscle degradation. For the 12-week storage period at −10 C, the FFA content varied from 17.9 μmoles in fresh muscle to a maximum of 222 μmoles/100 g muscle for nonimmersed muscle. Samples immersed in MgSO4 solution alone showed a consistent statistically significant inhibition in FFA formation when compared with immersed and nonimmersed muscle controls. Immersion in DMSO produced the least visual deterioration in appearance, colour, and firmess of texture.