Abstract
The water content of fish is a quantity which can vary greatly from fish to fish both within species and without. This variability may be due to natural causes or may be induced by the processes to which the fish is subjected. For example the seasonal variation has recently been studied of the composition of Nephrops norvegicus (Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, Scampi, Langoustine, Kaisergranat to name but a few of its more popular names) (15, 23). Figure 1 shows the changes in some of the parameters measured, water content, or rather complementary solids content, among them. Such organisms as these crustacea grow by shedding their shell (ecdysis). In the period during which the new shell is soft, they need to expand in volume rapidly before it hardens and do this by increasing their water content. On a wet basis a typical increase in percentage water content from 80 to 83%. results from a 22% increase in the amount of water giving an increase in weight of ≃ 18%. Even this large seasonal change in moisture content can itself be masked by the larger uptake of melt-water from ice when the fish are stored chilled. Gains here can range from say 16%. in weight after 5 days on ice up to nearly 50%, after 12 days corresponding to changes in absolute water content of 20% and a phenomenal 60%, respectively.
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© 1985 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Kent, M. (1985). Water in Fish : Its Effects on Quality and Processing. In: Simatos, D., Multon, J.L. (eds) Properties of Water in Foods. NATO ASI Series, vol 90. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5103-7_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5103-7_35
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