Water Holding Capacity (WHC) and Cook Loss of Fish Muscle

This application note provides information on specific application methods and the use of Hettich products.

Excerpt:

Determination of the water holding capacity (WHC) and cook loss of fish muscle

The determination of the water holding capacity (WHC) is an established method of investigating the degree of denaturation of proteins in muscle tissue. Although the emphasis to date has been on raw material, the method described here and the corresponding sample cups have been specially developed for cooked samples. Where convenience meals are prepared from fish products, for example, the quality of the fish must be kept at a high level. Quality controls are therefore essential at various stages in the production process. Heating in particular causes changes to muscle tissue through denaturation of the proteins. The fish muscle should not disintegrate after cooking and remain tender. A determination of the WHC and cook loss allows conclusions to be drawn about the degree of denaturation of the proteins and therefore the quality of the fish. It is, therefore, an objective and reproducible method.

Hettich products are designed to help you achieve optimal results for your application and are built to perform to the specifications outlined in the operators manual. For application-specific information and settings, please refer to your organization’s standard operating procedure. As always, our Hettich representatives are here to help determine which Hettich products and/or accessories best fit your laboratory requirements.