340 FOOD SCIENCE APPLICATIONS 



yields of dressed fish than fish having a small head and slim contour such 

 as salmon. 



Table 26.1. Yield from Several Species of Fish* 



* Values for this table and others in this chapter have been arrived at by considering data from a wide 

 variety of sources. 



Fish are commonly filleted, and the yield of fillets will vary with the 

 type of fish between 20 and 40 per cent. Fillet yields in the range of 

 30 to 35 per cent are most common. When steaks are cut from fish the 

 yield is between 60 and 75 per cent, most usually between 65 and 70 per 

 cent. Dressed fish averages about 73 per cent flesh, 21 per cent bone, and 

 6 per cent skin. 



Proximate Composition of Fish 



The proximate composition of fish varies widely from species to species 

 and even within the same species from one individual to another. Table 

 26.2 gives the range in values for proximate composition for fish in general. 



Table 26.2. Proximate Composition of Edible Portion of Fish 



Statistic Calculated Moisture Protein Oil Ash 



In this and succeeding material when the term ''edible portion" is used 

 it will designate the skin and bone free fillet of the fish. Whereas extreme 

 values for the moisture, protein, and ash of fish vary by only three to 

 five times, for oil a variation of over three hundred-fold occurs. These 

 figures apply for the variation in a component covering all species of fish. 

 Even within the same species of fish the oil content of one individual 

 may be more than ten times greater than that of another. These indi- 

 vidual variations are observed to correlate with such factors as the season 

 of the year when the fish was caught, the geographical area in which it 

 was taken, or with such factors as age, sex, and size of the fish. These 



