QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF TEXTURE CHANGE IN COD MUSCLE DURING FROZEN STORAGE

The textural deterioration of cod muscle during frozen storage was investigated by objective measurement using the Instron Universal Testing Machine. The rates of texture change as a function of storage time revealed that the increased toughness and decreased cohesiveness could be described by a first-order relationship. Higher storage temperatures resulted in more rapid rates of textural deterioration. Larger activation energy constants for toughness of cod muscle as compared to cohesiveness indicated that toughening was more temperature dependent than cohesiveness. The increased toughness and the decreased cohesiveness of frozen-stored fish appeared to be related to the protein denaturation of the cod muscle and the loss of water-holding capacity, respectively.