CANNING SARDINES 5 
DISCUSSION 
The experimental work has shown how excellent packs of pound- 
oval sardines, having good storing and shipping qualities, can be pre- 
pared in ways other than by cooking in oil. These processes— 
namely, steaming, brine-cooking, and raw-packing—have been com- 
pared with the frying-in-oil process and the advantages and disad- 
vantages of each pointed out. The general results of the study, 
however, taken as a whole, need to be discussed. 
In the first place, a few statements can be made that are in the 
nature of conclusions. In some ways they seem so obviously true as 
to require no proof. They are substantiated, however, by experi- 
mental data given in this section, and are proven further in the last 
section of this document. 
1. The preparation of fish for canning as sardines is essentially a 
process of removing excess water and of getting the fish into good 
physical condition. 
2. As far as the storing and shipping qualities of a pack are con- 
cerned, it makes little difference by what process the fish are prepared 
for canning, provided they are in good condition and packed firmly 
into the can, and provided sufficient water has been removed so that 
the fish will not shrink badly and give up an undue amount of water 
when sterilized. 
3. The best product will be given by that process that adds no 
objectionable foreign substance to the fish (such as ‘old’ fry-bath 
oil), that removes the least amount of oil *' and soluble extractives, 
and that best preserves the original appearance of the fish and leaves 
them in the best physical condition for canning. 
Of course, quality of pack must be considered in relation to the 
cost of production, and proper cognizance must be taken of these 
factors when methods of preparing the fish are considered. Under 
certain circumstances a small addition in cost is secondary in impor- 
tance to a gain in quality, while under other circumstances cost of 
production must be kept down even if quality has to be sacrificed 
somewhat. It is highly desirable that a process be developed that 
will produce fish of the best quality at the lowest cost. This, as 
stated. before, was set as the ultimate goal of the line of research 
considered in this document. 
The processes experimented with do get around frying-in-oil diffi- 
culties, and although they will, in the long run, produce better packs 
of sardines than does frying in oil as now carried out commercially, 
it does not seem to me that any one of them has sufficient additional 
advantages to enable it generally to supplant that process. 
When the fish are properly prepared, raw packing produces the 
best pack. The difficulty in getting enough water out of the fish 
and the amount of equipment and time required to prepare them 
probably will prevent this process from becoming widely used, if at 
all. Brine cooking does not appear to be adapted to southern 
California conditions, under which it is advisable to brine the fish 
as an aid in preserving them until they are to be cooked. Besides, 

41 Some believe that as much as possible of the natural oil in the fish should be removed, contending 
that a better pack is produced in this way. General practice among canners does not seem to confirm this. 
Maine and Norwegian canners prefer fat fish for their quarter-oil packs, and California canners cease opera- 
tions when oval-size fish become lean. My own experience has convinced me that the natural oil in the 
fish, unaffected by outside influences, adds considerably to the flavor, texture, and food value of the fish. 
