Effect of light treatmeat on oxidation and flavour of dry-cured Wuchang fish

Lighting conditions are an important factor affecting dry-cured products. This study investigated the effects of treatments with different light intensities (0 lx, 1000 lx, 25000 lx) and different light sources including red light, blue light, UV-light on oxidation leve and flavor change in dry-cured Wuchang fish. The results showed that dry-cured Wuchang fish exhibited an attractive brown-yellow color, the highest oxidation degree of myoglobin (Mb), the highest fat oxidation under the light conditions of 25000 lx light intensity and UV-light irradiation. This phenomenon was observed that the degree of Mb oxidation was increased, while the degree of fat oxidation was increased. At 25000 lx light intensity and UV-light irradiation, dry-cured Wuchang fish showed an ignificantly decreased fatty acid conten (especially oleic acid and linoleic acid), significantly increased characteristic volatile compound contents (22 for 25,000 lx light intensity and 27 for UV-light irradiation), which contributed to the improvement of quality stability of dry-cured Wuchang fish. Our findings provide theoretical support for the industrial application of exogenous light in dry-cured Wuchang fish.