ARS | Publication request: Effects of pink salmon byproduct storage time and temperature on fishmeal quality

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 20, 2009
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Alaska’s wild commercial Pacific salmon harvest produced over 400,000 metric tons of catch in 2005. The processing of this catch resulted in an estimated 110,000 metric tons of byproducts including heads and viscera are available for production of fishmeal and oil. Many processors in Alaska do not have fishmeal processing plant in close proximately and disposed of the byproducts as waste. An alternative is to transport the byproducts to the closest fishmeal processing plant, but when storage time is prolonged, the quality of the raw materials is decreased. The objective of this study was to evaluate fish meal quality made from salmon byproducts stored for 0 to 10 days at two temperatures (15 and 6 C). Three samples, pink salmon heads, pink salmon viscera and mix (heads combine with viscera) were collected from a commercial processing line in Kodiak, AK and aged up to 10 days in individual bins at two temperatures. Samples were collected on their respective days, ground and process into fishmeal using laboratory scale equipment. Rates of change in total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and biogenic amines were examined. Significant differences were found with storage times and temperatures in the starting material and rates of change for oxidation, spoilage and formation of biogenic amines between heads and viscera. Day 0 TBARS concentrations in heads and viscera were at 256+/-5.7 and 4.8+/-5.7 mg MDA/ 100g,tissue, respectively. During the 10 days of storage TVBN increased at a rate of 7 mg N/100g sample in heads and 32 mg N/100g samples per day in viscera. Formation of histamine was also higher in viscera and ended with a concentration of 1432+/-206 in viscera and 20.8+/-3.6 mg/kg in heads. Biogenic amines in fishmeals suggested some changes occurred between day 0 and day 3 at 15 C and by day 7 at 6 C for mixed byproducts. TBARS values in the fishmeal for day 2 at both 15 and 6 C showed significant increases from the starting material. These differences should be taken into account when examining options for storage and transport of the segregated and mix byproducts.