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The connective tissues of fish III. the effect of pH on gaping in cod entering rigor mortis at different temperatures
Author(s) -
LOVE R. M.,
HAQ M. A.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1970.tb01563.x
Subject(s) - rigor mortis , fish <actinopterygii> , chemistry , food science , fishery , biochemistry , biology
Summary When cod enter rigor mortis and are then filleted, the amount of gaping seen between the muscle segments depends on the previous body temperature, increasing progressively with warmth. In the present work it was noticed that in any batch of fish a few pairs of fillets showed little gaping even at relatively high temperatures (22‐25°C). the factor responsible was identified as the pH of the muscle, a low pH leading to much gaping and vice versa. At a given temperature, the gaping increased with time, and subsequent freezing increased it further. the practical implications of these findings are discussed.