Changes provoked by boiling, steaming and sous-vide cooking in the lipid and volatile profile of European sea bass

- The effect of boiling, steaming and sous-vide cooking on sea bass was investigated.
- 1H NMR and SPME-GC/MS were used to study changes in lipids and volatile profiles.
- None of the cooking techniques provoked significant changes in lipid composition.
- Only steaming and sous-vide cooking significantly modified fish volatile profiles.
- Plastic vacuum bag-derived hydrocarbons were found in sous-vide cooked samples.

This study aims to shed light on the changes provoked by boiling, steaming and sous-vide cooking on the lipids and volatile profile of farmed and wild European sea bass meat. None of the cooking techniques provoked changes due to hydrolytic or oxidation processes detectable by 1H NMR on sea bass lipids. The lipid profile of main and minor lipidic components was maintained after cooking. However, study by SPME-GC/MS evidenced that steaming and sous-vide cooking modified the volatile profile of sea bass meat, especially in farmed specimens. The compounds generated came from the occurrence, to a very small extent, of lipid and protein degradation. By contrast, boiling scarcely modified the initial characteristics of raw sea bass. Thus, from a sensory point of view and considering the odour-active compounds generated, steaming and sous-vide cooking provoked more noticeable changes than boiling, especially in farmed sea bass meat.

174