Characterization of oxidative changes in salted herring (Clupea harengus) during ripening

Influence of (ultra-)processing methods on aquatic proteins and product quality

Aquatic products are a high-quality source of protein for humans, and the changes in protein during aquatic product processing are crucial for nutritional value, product performance, and consumer health. With the advancement of science and technology, aquatic product processing methods have become increasingly diverse. In addition to traditional methods such as thermal processing (steaming, roasting, and frying) and pickling, emerging non-thermal processing technologies, such as high pressure, ultrasound, and irradiation, are also being applied. During (ultra-)processing, aquatic products undergo complex biochemical reactions, among which protein oxidation significantly affects the quality of aquatic products. Protein oxidation can alter the molecular structure of proteins, thereby changing their functional properties and ultimately impacting product quality. This paper primarily explored the effects of protein changes under different processing methods on aquatic product quality and human health, as well as techniques for controlling protein oxidation. It aims to provide a theoretical basis for selecting appropriate processing methods, improving aquatic product quality, and controlling protein oxidation in aquatic products, and to offer scientific guidance for practical production.

Application of a crude digestive proteases preparation to improve the ripening of marinated fillets from low-technological value Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras L.)

BACKGROUND

As a result of climate change (reduced the oxygen content and food available in the waters) and overfishing, ever larger batches of the herring catch are classified as low-value fish and used for feedstuff or canned food production. Fast and complete ripening of marinated fillets, especially from low-value Baltic herring, poses a problem because of the low muscle protease activity and changes in muscle tissue proteins.

RESULTS

For the first time, a crude digestive proteases preparation (CDPP) was obtained from herring viscera using a two-stage method consisting of ethanol extraction and then salt precipitation. CDPP had a reduced hemoglobin content, with optimum activity at pH 7.5-8.8 or 60-120 g kg-1 NaCl. At pH 4-5, it still exhibited 24-68% of proteolytic activity. CDPP was used for 4-24 h of brining of fresh and frozen-thawed fillets or injection of fresh fillets before marinating. CDPP-brining increased especially cathepsin D and carboxypeptidase A activities, whereas it decreased cathepsin B and L activities in the marinades. CDPP-brining mitigated the negative effect of freezing-thawing on mass-yield, protease activity, protein hydrolysis, texture profile, colour and sensory quality of the marinated fillets. CDPP-injection was found to be the best method because it increased mass-yield and ripeness of the marinated fillets to a greater extent than CDPP-brining did. The marinades from the CDPP-treated fillets had no bitter taste as a result of the presence of hemoglobin or chymotrypsin, and there were no results indicating lipid oxidation.

CONCLUSION

The application of CDPP in marinating technology is a viable approach to enable the use of low-value herring in food production, shorten the marinating time, and improve the ripeness and sensory quality of meat. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Liquid Side Streams from Mussel and Herring Processing as Sources of Potential Income

The seafood industry generates significant amounts of process waters which can generate value upon recovery of their nutrients. Process waters from the herring marination chain and cooking of mussels were here characterized in terms of crude composition, volatile compounds, and nutritional and potentially toxic elements. Protein and total fatty acid contents of herring refrigerated sea water (RSW) reached 3 and 0.14 g/L, respectively, while herring presalting brine (13%) reached 16.3 g/L protein and 0.77 g/L total fatty acid. Among three herring marination brines vinegar brine (VMB), spice brine (SPB), and salt brine (SMB), SPB reached the highest protein (39 g/L) and fatty acids (3.0 g/L), whereas SMB and VMB at the most had 14 and 21 g protein/L, respectively, and 0.6 and 9.9 g fatty acids/L, respectively. Essential amino acid (EAA) in marination brines accounted for up to 59% of total amino acid (TAA). From mussel processing, cooking juice had more protein (14-23 g/L) than the rest of the process waters, and in all water types, EAA reached up to 42% of TAA. For all process waters, the most abundant nutritional elements were Na, K, P, Ca, and Se. The content of all potentially toxic elements was mostly below LOD, except for As which ranged from 0.07 to 1.07 mg/kg among all tested waters. Our findings shed light on liquid seafood side streams as untapped resources of nutrients which can be valorized into food/feed products.

Protective Effects of Four Natural Antioxidants on Hydroxyl-Radical-Induced Lipid and Protein Oxidation in Yak Meat

The impacts of natural antioxidants, including ferulic acid, diallyl sulfide, α-tocopherol, and rutin, at a level of 0.2 g/kg on lipid and protein oxidation of minced yak meat in a hydroxyl-radical-generating system were investigated, and the effectiveness was compared with synthetic antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT). The exposure of yak meat to oxidative stress from 12 h to 24 h elevated lipid and protein oxidation. Treatments with antioxidants resulted in significantly lower peroxides, conjugated dienes, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and were also effective in retarding the formation of carbonyl groups, reducing the loss of sulfhydryl groups and protecting α-helix contents, of which ferulic acid and rutin were the most effective. Myosin heavy chain underwent lower degradation in the samples treated with ferulic acid or rutin compared with the oxidized control and other antioxidant treatments, while that of the BHT treatment showed a similar intensity with oxidized control at 24 h of oxidation. The physical stability of myofibrillar proteins in samples with antioxidants from high to low was rutin, ferulic acid, α-tocopherol, and BHT~diallyl sulfide. These results indicate that rutin and ferulic acid may be promising antioxidants in inhibiting the oxidative reactions during the processing of yak meat.

Cold plasma treated air improves the characteristic flavor of Dry-cured black carp through facilitating lipid oxidation

In this study, the main reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in cold plasma treated air (CPTA) were determined, and their effects on lipid oxidation, fatty acid composition and volatile profile in dry-cured black carp were investigated. Results showed that ozone (O₃) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were the main ROS/RNS, both of which were in a few mg/m³ to tens mg/m³. Increased peroxide value (POV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) level indicated CPTA promoted lipid oxidation in samples. The contents of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in samples after CPTA exposure were decreased significantly. Volatile analysis by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) showed that CPTA exposure promoted the formation of characteristic volatile flavor compounds in dry-cured black carp via facilitating the oxidation of UFA. This work provides new ideas for the application of cold plasma in food processing.

Comparison of the Changes in Fatty Acids and Triacylglycerols between Decapterus maruadsi and Trichiurus lepturus during Salt-dried Process

In order to reveal changes in fatty acids and triglycerides during the pickling process of white-fleshed and dark-fleshed fish with high-fat, to compare the changes of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and fatty acids (FAs) in round scad (Decapterus maruadsi, dark-fleshed) and hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus, white-fleshed) during salt-dried processing, ESI-MS/MS and GC-MS techniques were used to quantify. Lipid oxidation was evaluated via peroxide values (POVs), and thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS). A total of 31 and 27 FAs, 45 and 44 TAGs were quantified in round scad and hairtail, respectively. DHA (C22:6n3), palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), and oleic acid (C18:1n9) were the main FAs in round scad. POO (16:0/18:1/18:1), PPO (16:0/16:0/18:1), POD (16:0/18:1/22:6), and PPaO (16:0/16:1/18:1) were dominant TAGs in both species. Salt-dried processing significantly affected (p < 0.001) 7/5 FAs and 24/29 TAGs in round scad/hairtail. MUFAs changed significantly (p < 0.05) in dark-fleshed round scad; only SFAs and PUFAs changed in white-fleshed hairtail. Both species exhibited near-identical TAG compositions with different variation trends. More significant changes were observed in FAs at the half-dried stages and in TAGs (p < 0.05) at the salted stage. This coincided with the changing stages of POV and TBARS values that also increased significantly (p < 0.05) at the salted stages but peaked at the half-dried stages of both species.

Characteristics of herring marinated in reused brines after microfiltration

Brines after herring marinating pose a serious financial problem to the industry and natural environment. Paradoxically, the brine waste containing biological active compounds like proteases and peptides being responsible for marinade quality is discarded with sewage. Results show that the reuse of brine without filtration is not possible because of increase in the bacterial count and lipid oxidation in marinated herring. The desired parameters of marinades were achieved using brine permeate-50 µm free of the suspension and lipids. The best quality and sensory parameters of marinated herring meat were obtained using permeate-0.22 brine, which not contain microorganisms and lipids, and also a high activity of proteases. Reuse of brine allows reducing by half the losses of protein hydrolysis products (PHP) from meat to brine and for reverse diffusion of PHP and peptidases to meat. The marinades produced with the newly-developed method had up to 25% more PHP, up to 20% lower hardness, 10–20% higher activity of proteases, 40–97% lower indices of lipid oxidation, and 5% higher scores in sensory assessment, compared to the marinades produced with fresh brine. The inexpensive and easy to perform microfiltration of brine affords the possibility of increasing the quality and nutritional value of marinades and minimizing both waste volume and production costs.

Influence of different salting processes on the evolution of the volatile metabolites of vacuum-packed fillets of farmed and wild sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) stored under refrigeration conditions: a study by SPME-GC/MS

BACKGROUND

Fish shelf-life extension is a topic of great interest. In this study the behaviour of salted and unsalted farmed and wild European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fillets during storage was analysed through the evolution of their volatile metabolites. Farmed and wild sea bass fillets were brine-salted for 15 or 75 min, or dry-salted, vacuum-packed and stored at 4 °C for up to 1 month, and their headspaces were studied by Solid Phase Micro extraction-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS).

RESULTS

At the same storage time, unsalted wild fillets contained, in general, a higher number and abundance of volatile compounds coming from microbiological or endogenous enzymatic activity than unsalted farmed ones. The more intense the salting, the lower the number and abundance of microbiological spoilage metabolites, especially in wild samples. The appearance of oxidation metabolites only in dry-salted wild samples evidences that this kind of salting provokes a certain oxidation in these samples.

CONCLUSIONS

The better performance of farmed than wild fillets suggests that salted farmed fillets, vacuum-packed and stored under refrigeration conditions, could be a successful alternative to diversify the presence of sea bass in the market. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antioxidant activities and functional properties of protein and peptide fractions isolated from salted herring brine

In the present study proteins isolated from herring brine, which is a by-product of marinated herring production were evaluated for their functional properties and antioxidant activity. Herring brine was collected from the local herring industry and proteins were precipitated by adjusting the pH to 4.5 and the obtained supernatant was further fractionated by using ultrafiltration membranes with molecular weight cut offs of 50, 10 and 1kDa. The obtained >50kDa, 50-10kDa, 10-1kDa fractions and pH precipitated fraction were studied for their functional properties and antioxidant activity. Functional properties revealed that >50kDa polypeptides showed good emulsion activity index when compared to the other fractions. However all fractions had low emulsion stability index. The pH precipitated fraction showed the highest foaming capacity and stability at pH 10. The 50-10kDa and 10-1kDa peptide fractions showed good radical scavenging activity and reducing power at a concentration of 0.5mg protein/ml. All the fractions demonstrated low iron chelating activity and did not inhibit oxidation in a soybean phosphatidylcholine liposome model system. However all the fractions were to some extent able to delay iron catalyzed lipid oxidation in 5% fish oil in water emulsions and the 10-50kDa fraction was the best. These results show the potential of proteins and peptide fractions recovered from waste water from the herring industry as source of natural antioxidants for use in food products.

Fish proteins as targets of ferrous-catalyzed oxidation: identification of protein carbonyls by fluorescent labeling on two-dimensional gels and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry

Protein oxidation in fish meat is considered to affect negatively the muscle texture. An important source of free radicals taking part in this process is Fenton's reaction dependent on ferrous ions present in the tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of cod muscle proteins in sarcoplasmic and myofibril fractions to in vitro metal-catalyzed oxidation and to point out protein candidates that might play a major role in the deterioration of fish quality. Extracted control proteins and proteins subjected to free radicals generated by Fe(II)/ascorbate mixture were labeled with fluorescein-5-thiosemicarbazide (FTSC) to tag carbonyl groups and separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Consecutive visualization of protein carbonyl levels by capturing the FTSC signal and total protein levels by capturing the SyproRuby staining signal allowed us to quantify the relative change in protein carbonyl levels corrected for changes in protein content. Proteins were identified using MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry and homology-based searches. The results show that freshly extracted cod muscle proteins exhibit a detectable carbonylation background and that the incubation with Fe(II)/ascorbate triggers a further oxidation of both sarcoplasmic and myofibril proteins. Different proteins exhibited various degrees of sensitivity to oxidation processes. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), nucleoside diphosphate kinase B (NDK), triosephosphate isomerase, phosphoglycerate mutase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, and enolase were the sarcoplasmic proteins most vulnerable to ferrous-catalyzed oxidation. Moreover, NDK, phosphoglycerate mutase, and GAPDH were identified in several spots differing by their pI, and those forms showed different susceptibilities to metal-catalyzed oxidation, indicating that post-translational modifications may change the resistance of proteins to oxidative damage. The Fe(II)/ascorbate treatment significantly increased carbonylation of important structural proteins in fish muscle, mainly actin and myosin, and degradation products of those proteins were observed, some of them exhibiting increased carbonylation levels.

Textural and biochemical changes during ripening of old-fashioned salted herrings

BACKGROUND

Understanding of the biochemical reactions taking place during ripening of salted herring is still rather limited. Therefore, salted herrings were traditionally produced and the impact of the brine composition was evaluated in relation to the development of the characteristic texture of salted herrings. The aim of this study was to measure the texture changes during ripening using two different methods and to correlate the texture changes with brine composition and with biochemical modifications at the molecular level.

RESULTS

During ripening (up to 151 days), hardness was higher in salted herrings compared to raw herrings, irrespective of the brine composition. However, the increase in hardness of herring prepared with extra brine occurred later. After prolonged storage (371 days), hardness was found for both batches to decrease to the level of raw herring. The increase in hardness during the ripening period could be explained by free-radical-induced cross-linking of myosin and the formation of aggregates. In addition, degradation of these aggregates correlated with the decrease in hardness observed at 371 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Texture changes during ripening of salted herrings can be explained by oxidative reactions inducing myosin cross-linking followed by subsequent degradation of these myosin aggregates. The brine composition might play a role in the development of herring texture but this need to be investigated in more details.

Berry marinades enhance oxidative stability of herring fillets

Marinating herring fillets in a 50 g/L powder of elderberry, cranberry, or black currant inhibited the oxidation of lipids and proteins and also the degradation of tocopherol. Cranberry and black currant appeared to be more efficient than elderberry in inhibiting the degradation of tocopherol and the formation of ammonium. Elderberry marinades provided the most significant color changes. The injection of fillets with a 5% salt solution resulted in significantly increased levels of carbonyls, ammonium, and biogenic amines, whereas formation of the volatile lipid compounds propanal, hexanal, 2-penten-1-ol, and 1-penten-3-ol was lowest in fillets marinated in black currant following injection of the salt solution. All marinade treatments resulted in a significantly decreased liquid holding ability, coinciding with a lower muscle pH. It is concluded that marinating herring fillets in solutions containing berry powder can enhance the quality and shelf life of the fillets and simultaneously provide the fillets with natural antioxidants beneficial for consumers.

Effect of caffeic acid on haemoglobin-mediated lipid and protein oxidation in washed cod mince during ice and frozen storage

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the relation between haemoglobin (Hb)-mediated lipid and protein oxidation in muscle foods and how these two reactions can be inhibited by naturally occurring antioxidants. This study was aimed at evaluating (1) lipid oxidation and protein oxidation induced by 20 µmol L(-1) Hb during chilled and frozen storage of washed cod mince and (2) the efficiency of 10-1000 ppm (0.063-6.3 mmol L(-1)) caffeic acid in preventing these reactions.

RESULTS

Addition of 20 µmol L(-1) Hb increased peroxide value (PV), rancid odour, protein carbonylation, protein insolubilisation, redness loss and α-tocopherol loss in ice-stored washed cod mince. Since both lipid and protein oxidation developed at the same time, it was not possible to conclude which reaction initiated the other. All studied reactions were efficiently inhibited by ≥ 50 ppm caffeic acid, which could be a result of α-tocopherol regeneration, general radical scavenging, reduced formation of oxidised Hb forms and/or conformational changes in Hb structure. During frozen storage the only clear effect of Hb was increased PV, and here caffeic acid was less efficient as an antioxidant.

CONCLUSION

Hb-induced lipid and protein oxidation occurred quickly in ice-stored washed cod mince, and the two reactions could not be separated in time. During frozen storage, Hb caused only limited lipid oxidation. Caffeic acid (≥50 ppm) was an efficient antioxidant during ice storage.