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Protein denaturation in frozen fish XII. The pH effect and cell fragility determinations
Author(s) -
Love R. M.,
Muslemuddin M.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740231011
Subject(s) - fragility , fish <actinopterygii> , myofibril , chemistry , denaturation (fissile materials) , food science , biochemistry , chromatography , biophysics , fishery , biology , nuclear chemistry
“Cell fragility” homogenates of fish with high pH look pale, not flocculent like those of normal fish or fish with low pH. The optical density of the homogenates of fish can therefore vary widely according to the pH and this fact severely limits the usefulness of the cell fragility method for investigating the changes brought about by cold storage. By the use of dilute buffers it was shown that the pH effect is caused by a high pH alone and not necessarily by any concomitant protein depletion. The effect can be reversed in the same piece of fish by soaking in a buffer at the opposite end of the pH scale. Photomicrographs showed that at high pH values the myofibrils tend to burst open, releasing protein into the surrounding fluid and it is suggested that if this protein could be coagulated the cell fragility method might still give useful results from high‐pH fish.