Nagasaki Prefectural Institute of Fisheries, Taira, Nagasaki 851-2213, Japan
The effects of soaking conditions on released water of thawed jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus meat after soaking, freezing, and thawing were studied using a jack mackerel immediately after being killed. The water release rate for previously soaked thawed meat did not increase when the NaCl concentration of the soaking solution was 0.5 M or higher. When the NaCl concentration in the jack mackerel meat was 0.25 mol/kg or higher, the water release rate was not affected by moisture but showed a constant low value. In muscle homogenate, a rise in water-holding capacity matched the solubilization of myofibrils (Mf) by NaCl in the vicinity of 0.2 to 0.4 M. Glucose, which is not able to solubilize Mf, did not show improvement in the water-holding capacity. Therefore, it is suggested that a dissolution action of Mf by NaCl improves the water-holding capacity of the soaked, frozen, and thawed meat and suppresses water release.