Suppressive effect of ATP contained in muscle on the browning of amberjack Seriola dumerili dark muscle during frozen storage

¹The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, ²Laboratory of Food Engineering, Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Shimoarata, Kagoshima 890-0056, ³Limited Liability Company Keitensuisan, Sakurajima, Kagoshima 891-1147, ⁴Kagoshima Prefecture Fisheries Technology and Development Center, Ibusuki, Kagoshima 891-0315, Japan

Frozen fish products are generally transported and stored at −20℃. This storage condition, however, causes rapid progression of autoxidation of myoglobin and browning of dark muscle, reducing the commercial value of fish for sashimi. In the previous paper, we reported the suppressive function of ATP on the autoxidation of myoglobin by heat treatment. In this study, we investigated the effect of ATP in muscle on the progression of autoxidation of myoglobin in dark muscle of cultured amberjack during frozen storage at −20℃. Amberjack fillets quick-frozen at −50℃ containing various concentrations of ATP were prepared and then stored at −20℃ for four months. The progression of autoxidation of myoglobin was suppressed in the fillets containing high concentrations of ATP. We also developed a method for measuring the ratio of generated metmyoglobin in myoglobin contained in dark muscle of amberjack.