Quality changes in high pressure processed cod, salmon and mackerel during storage

• Loins of cod, mackerel and salmon were high pressure treated at 200 and 500 MPa.
• High pressure induced severe protein denaturation, reduced redness and increased lightness.
• High pressure treated fish were harder, had more liquid loss and reduced water holding capacity compared with fresh fish.
• Cold storage for up to 25 days did not affect the measured quality parameters.

High pressure (HP) treatments inhibit spoilage and thereby increase the shelf life of fresh fish. However, studies comparing the effect on the biochemical changes in different fish species are lacking. The current study investigated the effect of HP treatments at 200 and 500 MPa for 120 sec. (8-days on texture, liquid loss, water holding capacity and protein denaturation in cod, mackerel and salmon. At 500 MPa hardness increased,and the fish became lighter and less red in all species. Severe protein denaturation was induced by HP treatment in all species. It was concluded that the effect on the measured quality parameters were not much affected by fish species, which suggests that HP induced changes in structural proteins and thereby affects only parameters like texture, lightness and water holding capacity, and do not depend on amounts of fat or the muscle composition.