terial counts and panel ratings of the raw meat 

 were found to be the best indices of quality. 

 Drip volume, total-volatile-base level, pH value, 

 and panel ratings on the cooked meat were not 

 consistent indicators of the quality of scallop 

 meat. The total-volatile-base level increased 

 during the first week of storage of the meats 

 at 3° C. with a subsequent decrease, thus elim- 

 inating it as a valid index of quality. 



There was very little diffei-ence in the proxi- 

 mate composition between hand and mechan- 

 ically processed scallop meats. The soaking of 

 scallop meats in water resulted in a large in- 

 crease in water absorption with a concomitant 

 decrease in cooked meat yield. The yield of 

 cooked meat was less for those meats processed 

 mechanically. However, due to an increased 

 drip loss, this difference in the yield of cooked 

 meat was eliminated upon freezing and thaw- 

 ing. Drip from the frozen, mechanically pro- 

 cessed meats was less than that from the hand- 

 processed meats, being least from those not 

 receiving a final rinse. 



CONCLUSIONS 



As compared with hand processing, the 

 prototype mechanical processing method, de- 

 scribed herein, did not adversely change the 

 quality and yield of finished scallop meats nor 

 present other major problems. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Appreciation is expressed to: Division of 

 Commercial and Sports Fisheries, State of 

 North Carolina, and Institute of Marine Sci- 

 ences, University of North Carolina for assis- 

 tance with sample collection; Elmer Willis, 

 Willis Brothers Seafood Company, Williston, 

 N.C., for conducting the processing operations ; 

 and to Lois 0. Wellman, Barbara C. Capps 



and Francis J. Ivey, North Carolina State Uni- 

 versity, Raleigh, for conducting the analyses. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Brown, C. T. 



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 Harris, S. G. 



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 Marvin, J., and T. Henderson, Jr. 



1966. Apparatus for recovering flesh from 

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POLITO, J. A. 



1964. Scallop eviscerator. U.S. Patent 3,- 

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 Renfroe, L. C. 



1964. Method of eviscerating scallops. 

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1967. Comparison of chemical and sensory 

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Webb, N. B., F. B. Thomas, F. F. Busta, and 

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Webb, N. B., and F. B. Thomas. 



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GPO 998-076 



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