In order to make clear the deterioration and its control for the gel-forming ability of lizardfish, formaldehyde (FA) and tyrosine (Tyr) accumulated in the fillets packaged with air, nitrogen (N
2) and oxygen (O
2) were determined during storage at 5°C. Amount of Tyr had no increase, however, th at of FA increased especially in the samples packed with N
2 on the earlier periods of storage.
It was presumed that an enzyme trimethylamine N-oxide demethylase (TMAOase) in the fillets acts sufficiently under oxygen-deficient storage, and the produced FA is rapidly combined with fish protein, causing the deterioration of the gel-forming ability, before protease of fillets act on the fish protein.
These findings suggested that avoidance of oxygen deficiency during storage is eftective to keep gelforming ability of lizardfish.
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