No. 2(l92l) REMARKS ON CANNING 79 



into slices of even thickness, thus giving precision in salting, 

 drying, and packing ; hand-cut slices are usually of irregular thick- 

 ness even in the individual slices. 



92. (2) Brining. — This is necessary not only to give the fish a 

 slight savour, since saltless food is insipid, but to help in preserv- 

 ing the fish in the several stages before it is finally made safe by 

 processing. In some cases, e.g., where fish are not sterilised by 

 frying, it may be desirable to add a little boric acid or sodium 

 hypochlorite to the brine ; these are innocuous and considerably 

 inhibit (delay) taint so rapid in India. It must be understood that 

 such preservatives are not added in order to disguise taint ; they 

 cannot and do not do so, for a tainted fish remains dull of appear- 

 ance and soft and pasty in texture whatever preservative be added. 

 These innocuous preservatives are solely added — if at all— to inhibit 

 and prevent taint while the fish is passing through various stages 

 before processing ; it is a precaution on behalf of the consumer, not 

 a method of deceiving or injuring him. Sodium hypochlorite, 

 indeed, becomes sodium chloride, that is, common salt, in acting as 

 a preservative. See section on ' preservatives ' in the bulletin 

 on "The preservation and cure of fish " of which a new edition 

 will shortly issue. 



In the matter of brining, the judgment of the superintendent or 

 maistry is needed in fixing the period ; the weather (hot or cold, 

 dry or damp), the time of day (since fish sometimes have to be kept 

 after frying or sterilising, till next day if the hour is too late and 

 fish superabundant), the condition of fish (large or small, fat or 

 lean, whole or in slices), the tastes of the markets, etc., all have to 

 be considered. A careless maistry will give the same time in 

 brine to big or small, fat or lean sardines, or to whole fish such as 

 mackerel and to slices in which the cut tissues are open to the 

 brine on two sides. Brining is preferred to salting for canning 

 fish since in any case the period is short — perhaps 20 or 30 

 minutes — and even fine salt would not sufficiently penetrate whole 

 fish in so short a time; there would be serious irregularity in the 

 penetration of the salt if dry salt were used. Hence brining is 

 general, and it is an axiom that brine shall not only be saturated at 

 the start but kept at saturation point throughout, notwithstanding 

 the continuous weakening of the brine by the moisture from the 

 fish ; this is effected by an addition of salt in crystals to the brine 

 which is thus strengthened by their solution. The frequent use of 



