Glossary of Fish Technology Terms
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[Words highlighted in bold in the text of an entry refer to another entry. Words in parenthesis are alternatives.]Abnormalities
Attributes of the fish that are not found in the great majority of that kind of fish. For example: atypical shapes; overall or patchy discolorations of skin or of fillet; diseased conditions; atypical odours or flavours. Generally, the term should be used for peculiarities present in the fish at the time of capture or harvesting, or developing very soon after; peculiarities arising during processing should be considered as defects
Acetic acid
Formal chemical name, ethanoic acid. An organic acid of formula CH3.COOH. It is the main component, 3-6%, other than water, of vinegar. Used in fish technology in preparation of marinades.
Acid curing
See Marinating
Actomyosin
A combination of the two main proteins, actin and myosin, present in all muscle tissues.
Additive
A chemical added to a food to affect its properties. Objectives of including additives in a product include: increased stability during storage; inhibition of growth of microorganisms or production of microbial toxins; prevention or reduction of formation of off-flavours; improved sensory properties, particularly colours and appearance, affecting acceptability to the consumer; improved properties related to preparation and processing of food, for example, ability to create stable foams or emulsions, or to stabilise or thicken sauces. Additives permitted for use in foods are regulated by food authorities. Typically, there are two lists: additives that may be used without limit in any food; and additives that may be used within maximum limits and/or only in specified foods. Some permitted additives are chemicals naturally present in foods such as ascorbic acid and sodium chloride.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
See Nucleotides, K-value.
Aerobic plate count (aerobic colony count, aerobic mesophilic colony or plate count)
See Total viable count
Affective test
A class of experimental procedures used in sensory assessment of foods to determine an assessor’s personal response the food. Also referred to as a subjective test (ISO 5492). Examples of affective tests are pair comparison tests in which the assessor is asked to express their preference between a pair of products, and hedonic tests in which the assessor expresses their degree of liking/disliking or acceptability/unacceptability of a product.
Air blast chiller and air blast chilling
See Chilling.
Air blast freezer, air blast freezing
See Freezer, Freezing.