3.4.2 Quality aspects
Colour, texture, flavour and shelf life are important quality parameters for smoked fish (Horner, 1997). All these aspects can be controlled in modern smoking ovens when combined with good-quality raw material. Initial brining, quality of the sawdust and control of time, temperature and air speed in the smoke oven all contribute to the product characteristics. The characteristic col- our of smoked fish is due to Maillard reactions between carbonyl and free amino groups, and as mentioned in other chapters where protein quality is compro- mised, the chemistry involved is complex and subject to the specific conditions pertaining to the preservation process. In smoking this is a combination of tem- perature and the freshness of the raw material, as spoilage will lead to the release of these compounds. Texture changes are affected by raw material quality and the extent of brining and the time–temperature relationship in smoking. The characteristic flavour and aroma of smoked fish is due to a combination of the many components of wood smoke although phenolic compounds are considered
to be the most influential – although this once again depends on the temperature of smoking, and cold smoked products differ from hot smoked products. The art of the fish smoker is to combine all these elements to give a good-quality prod- uct. The traditional smoking systems do not allow such fine control, and at the higher temperatures associated with wood burning scorching and over-drying are possible (Horner, 1997). The improvement of the traditional fish smoking oven is dealt with below (Section 3.4.4) as the process is so important in provid- ing nutrition in the Low-Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDC) as mentioned earlier (see Chapter 1, Section 1.1.2).
Nutritional value can also be impaired by reduced bioavailability of essential amino acids, and carcinogenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be generated under certain circumstances. Over 27 PAHs have been identified in wood smoke and their deposition on the fish appears to be temperature-de- pendent, with eight to nine times being deposited in hot smoking than in cold smoking. Nitroso compounds which impart a pink colour to smoked products are known precursors of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines by reaction with free amines in the fish flesh.
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