ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the measurements that assure quality of the product. Total plate count, total viable count, total volatile base, trimethylamine, thiobarbituric acid, total volatile nitrogen (TVN), peroxide value, and free fatty acids are routinely measured for quality control of smoked, cured, and dried fish. Obtaining a representative sample for water activity measurements with cured and dried fish is particularly difficult because local concentrations of salt or local wet patches can cause a significant change in water activity. TVN provides a measure of the extent of spoilage in cured fish. The classic methodology of Conway and Byrne is to extract TVN from the cured fish using trichloroacetic acid. Considerably less emphasis is placed on sampling of fish products. Methods of determining the nutritive value of products have always been a daunting problem.
