Y. Kumano et N. Seki, CHANGES IN ALPHA-CONNECTIN CONTENT DURING STORAGE OF ICED, FROZEN, AND THAWED FISH MUSCLES, Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi, 59(3), 1993, pp. 559-564
When carp, rainbow trout, stone flounder, and flatfish muscles were st
ored at 0-degrees-C, it was found that the content of alpha-connectin
decreased rapidly at the beginning of the storage, with a simultaneous
decrease in the breaking strength of the muscles to 70-75% of the ini
tial value. Alpha-Connectin content was, however, kept constant over t
he experimental period for 1 year at -20-degrees-C. A decrease in alph
a-connectin also occurred rapidly when the muscle temperature reached
-2-degrees-C, and progressed continuously even below 0-degrees-C durin
g thawing and post-thaw storage. The breaking strength of the thawed m
uscle was greatly reduced after thaw rigor, compared with that of unfr
ozen muscle at the same storage time and temperature. Furthermore, tha
wed carp muscle continuously decreased in breaking strength even after
alpha-connectin had been completely lost. On the other hand, rainbow
trout muscle decreased more rapidly in breaking strength than in alpha
-connectin. These findings suggest that some additional factors are re
quired for and will contribute more greatly to the tenderization of th
awed muscle.