EFFECT OF PROCESS VARIABLES ON THE QUALITY OF SWORDFISH FILLETS FLAVORED WITH SMOKE CONDENSATE

An alternative technique to traditional smoking of swordfish was evaluated. Fillets were dry salted and/or brine salted in 30% NaCl, and smoked by dipping in smoke condensate solution at different concentrations. Chemical (water-phase salt, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen, lipid oxidation), microbiological (total mesophilic count and fecal coliforms count) and sensory analyses were carried out in order to establish which technique gave the best results in terms of sensory quality. The different salting techniques gave different water-phase salt contents, which influenced the microbial growth and the production of volatile bases. The smoke condensate concentration was ineffective toward microbial growth, but it was a differentiating factor for sensory panel. The dry-salted product smoked with 5% smoke condensate was preferred because it maintained the natural taste of fish, coupled with a pleasant flavor of smoke.