Characterisation of soluble nitrogen and muscle proteins in wastewater throughout the salting process of Codfish (Gadus morhua)

• Main Authors: Ferraro, Vincenza, Cruz, Isabel B., Jorge, Ruben Ferreira, Malcata, F. Xavier, Castro, Paula M. L., Pintado, Manuela E.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: The Italian Association of Chemical Engineering 2011
• Subjects: Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/4845; https://doi.org/10.3303/CET1021139

In Portugal, Atlantic codfish (Gadus morhua) is usually consumed after dry salting; this process is carried out by mixing deboned codfish with food–grade marine salt followed by stacking in a tank for 6 days. Along the salting process, codfish incorporates salt as well as it is partially dried by the release of water - up to 22 % (w/w). Currently, this wastewater is treated as a residue not being further valorized. However, the presence of a significant amount of valuable compounds in this rest, such as amino acids and proteins, may allow for valorization opportunities not yet explored. The present work focuses on the identification of the nitrogen-containing compounds present in such wastewater. Total nitrogen (WSN), trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen (TCASN) and phosphotungstic acid-soluble nitrogen (PTASN) were evaluated by the micro-Kjeldahl method; Biuret method was used for total protein determinations and SDS-Page was performed for protein molecular weight screening. The results revealed an increase of WSN, TCASN and PTASN with time, with corresponding values of 3.17 g/L (WSN), 1.62 g/L (TCASN) and 1.16 g/L (PTASN) by the end of the process; the evolution of WSN versus the released water was approximately constant during the salting process, as well as the ratios of TCASN/WSN and PTASN/WSN with values of 51.25 and 36.55 % (w/w) at equilibrium, respectively. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion