Extractability and thermal stability of frozen hake (Merluccius merluccius) fillets stored at -10 and -30°C

The relationship between thermal stability changes and functionality loss was monitored in hake muscle fillets stored for 40 weeks at -10 and -30°C. The evolution of changes in apparent viscosity, dimethylamine formation and extractability of muscle proteins in NaCl, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) or SDS plus mercaptoethanol showed drastic differences as a function of temperature. At the higher storage temperature, both myosin heavy chain and collagen were the most severely unextracted in salt and SDS solutions, with actin becoming unextractable at the end of storage. Differential scanning calorimetry showed differences with storage time and temperature in both onset temperature and thermal denaturation enthalpy, mostly affecting the myosin transitions. Some protein denaturation occurred with little or no functionality loss. A considerably high fraction of hake muscle proteins remained in the native-like condition even at the higher frozen storage temperature. In these conditions both apparent viscosity and myosin and actin extractability in NaCl were very low. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry.