ABSTRACT
The myosystems of fresh fish and other muscle foods are replete with enzymes, the postmortem activity of which may be desirable or undesirable. In either case, their control can lead to maintaining or improving the product quality and shelflife. High pressure as a food processing tool was initiated by Hite and his co workers (1,2) who explored its possible use in the pasteurization of milk. During the same period, Bridgman (3) also demonstrated irreversible pressure-induced coagulation of ovalbumin. The primary focus has since been toward the applica tion of high-pressure processing as an alternative to thermal processing for the control of microbial activity (4). However, in recent years there has been increas ing interest in the use of high pressure for modification of proteins, enzymes, and other food macromolecules (5-9). Fish and other species living at varying depths within the aquatic milieu are somewhat adapted to different habitat pressures, which is manifested by their relative sensitivities to pressure treatment. Conceiv ably then, high pressure might be used in the control or enhancement of enzyme activity for the improvement of food quality and the development of new foods and food processes.
