Effects of cold smoking procedures and raw material characteristics on product yield and quality parameters of cold smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) fillets

Quality parameters of cold smoked fillets of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from six different farms in Norway and the Faeroe Islands were investigated after processing with a gentle (manual filleting, dry salting) or tough (machine filleting, injection salting, extended drying) cold smoking procedure. Raw material fat content (15.6-21.1%) and carotenoid composition (astaxanthin 5.7-10.6 mg/kg, canthaxanthin 0.0-4.0 mg/kg) were different. Surface lightness was correlated to a high canthaxanthin or fat content. Product yield and water content was higher in injection salted than dry salted fillets (p < 0.001). Injection salted fillets had higher gaping score and softer texture when compared to dry salted (p < 0.001). Differences in colour, texture, gaping scores and total liquid loss between raw material groups were not retained consistently after cold smoking, implying that quality traits of the smoked products are difficult to predict from raw material characteristics. The coefficients of variation in quality traits were not significantly different for the smoking procedures, indicating that the stability of product quality is rather robust to choice of processing method. It is concluded that choice of procedure for cold smoking of Atlantic salmon fillets has a more profound effect on product quality characteristics and proximate composition than raw material. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.