76 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
gar. The sauce, if made salty enough, will in time impart its flavor 
to the fish. Oil does not do this. Brining removes some water from 
the fish and tends to make the flesh firmer and skins tougher, due 
both to extraction of water and to the coagulating effect salt has on 
proteins. Soluble proteins, especially blood, are removed to some 
extent, causing a loss of valuable food material. Removal of blood, 
however, tends to whiten the flesh, and this is considered desirable. 
Brining probably has some preserving effect that helps toward keep- 
ing the fish in good condition until they are cooked. 
Some data on the loss in weight brought about by brining are 
shown in Table 5. The loss in weight for large-oval size fish in 100 

Fic. 4.—Machine cutting 
per cent saturated brine ran from 1.46 per cent for 90 minutes to 
2.94 per cent for 240 minutes immersion. Most of this loss unques- 
tionably was water. Weber (see footnote, p. 72) made an extensive 
study of brining and salting Maine herring. California pilchards 
undoubtedly behave in a very similar manner. 
TaBLe 5.—Loss in weight in California pilchards, due to brining (100 per cent 
saturated salt solution at 64.4° F.) 






Original | Partenud Original | por cent 
. : weight ei ms pik A weight : 
Time (minutes) é loss in Time (minutes) ae loss in 
ofsample| \cioht | ofsample| Weight 
(grams) ! eS (grams) ! 8 
OE ee ENS Lay ETT 989. 6 (446 0135 0. Vee eee 938. 8 1.95 
AN 9 [a3 =e Pepe Se ee 928. 3 Pe 475, MOO ee a ee 964. 3 1.97 
AOS eee ES ee ee aes 989. 5 | 1 05s | O40 s 0c ee a ae eee 964. 3 2. 94 



1 Hight large pound-oval pilchards used in each case (large excess brine used), fish blotted with dry towel 
each time before being weighed. 
