1Ninben Co., Ltd, Kawaguchi, Saitama 333-0848, 2College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-8510, Japan
In order to investigate ASPC of the raw materials (skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis) as a possible index for estimating the quality of katsuobushi manufactured from its raw materials, we examined the relationship of ASPC of 16 skipjack tunas belonging to four categories with ASPC of the katsuobushi manufactured from their raw materials. The categories were classified by fishing method, catching position and transport process after catch on board.
The ASPC between the katsuobushi and its raw materials had a positive correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.78 and the katsuobushi with a high quality (ASPC≧1.5) were manufactured from most of the raw materials (>90%) with an ASPC of 1.2 or more, suggesting that the ASPC of the raw materials is a suitable index for judging those raw materials possessing potential quality for producing high-quality katsuobushi. There was no significant difference in the ASPCs of the raw materials and the katsuobushi between the two groups differing in the storage temperature during transport. This result suggested that the handling method such as storage temperature during transport of the raw materials for several hours did not affect the quality of the katsuobushi. Eosin-Y positive coagulated components (EPC) in muscle cells were detected in the frozen raw materials and their katsuobushi, but not in the unfrozen both specimens, indicating that the detection of EPC in muscle cells is an index for judging the frozen history of the raw materials.