Studies on Salting and Drying Fish. I. Equilibrium Considerations in Salting

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Abstract
SUMMARY—: The following variables were determined at equilibrium between fish muscle and brine, all as functions of the salt concentration in the brine: salt concentration in the muscle, based on the volume of the muscle; salt concentration in the tissue water of the muscle; distribution coefficient of salt between muscle volume and brine; distribution coefficient of salt between muscle tissue water and brine. Secondary variables which further described the salting equilibria were also found as functions of salt concentration in the brine as follows, all based on unit weight of non‐salt solids in the salted muscle: weight of salt (S/NSS), weight of water (W/NSS), and volume (V/NSS).The salt concentration based on the muscle volume was found to increase continually with increasing brine concentration, as did the salt concentration in the tissue water and the salt content expressed as S/NSS. The distribution coefficient based on the muscle volume and the water and volume contents (W/NSS) and (V/NSS) were found to increase at first, pass through a maximum, and then decrease, all with increasing brine concentration. Within the limits of experimental error, the salt concentration in the tissue water was found to equal the salt concentration in the brine, so that the distribution coefficient calculated on this basis was always equal to unity and was independent of the salt concentration in the brine.The volume per unit weight of non‐salt solids (V/NSS) was found to be a direct linear function of the water content per weight of non‐salt solids (W/NSS) at all temperatures studied. Little difference was found between the equilibrium salting variables when salting was carried out at 5 and at 25°C; on the other hand, possibly due to “cooking” or heat denaturation of the muscle with consequent loss of water at that temperature, all variables were considerably lower when salting was carried out at 37°C. The “mean molar activity coefficient” of sodium chloride in fish muscle was determined as a function of salt concentration in the muscle. It was found to be always greater, and to vary more sharply with salt concentration, than the corresponding activity coefficient of salt in aqueous solution.

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