UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



% BULLETIN No. 908 JM& 



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Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry 

 CARL L. ALSBERG, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



January 18, 1921 



THE MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 



By F. C. Webeh, Chemist in Charge, 



With the collaboration of H. W. Houghton and J. B. Wilson, Assistant Chemists, 



Animal Physiological Chemical Laboratory. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction: Page. 



The sardine 1 



The Maine sardine industry 3 



The Maine sardine 4 



Food value of the canned sardine 5 



Purpose of investigation 6 



Methods employed in packing sardines 6 



Experimental work: 



Methods of analysis 12 



Composition of the sea herring 15 



Food of the sea herring .' 17 



Swells 20 



Transportation of the fish 26 



Pickling and salting the fish 34 



Flaking the fish 50 



Drying the fish 51 



Experimental work — Continued. Page. 



Packing the fish 58 



Adding the oil 60 



Processing the sardines 69 



Storing the sardines 70 



Decomposition of the fish 86 



Grading the fish 93 



Standardization of the sardine pack 96 



Sanitary precautions in packing sardines 98 



Waste in packing sardines: 



Elimination of unnecessary waste 102 



Utilization of unavoidable waste 109 



Economic considerations 115 



Summary 121 



Bibliography 125 



INTRODUCTION. 



THE SARDINE. 



The sardine, popularly regarded as a particular species of fish 

 used for canning, derives its name from the island of Sardinia, in 

 the Mediterranean Sea, where the fish from which the sardines of 

 that region are made abound (27). 1 The term "sardine" is now 

 applied in this country to the small fish of the Clupea family, numer- 

 ous species of which are canned as sardines in various parts of the 

 world. 2 The pilchard (Clupea pilchardus) is the fish used in the 

 French sardine industry, and the brisling or sprat {Clupea sprattus) 

 in the Norwegian industry. The California sardine (Clupea coeru- 



1 The figures in parentheses refer to the bibliography at the end of this bulletin. 



8 Food Inspection Decision 64, issued by the TJ. S. Department of Agriculture, March 29, 1907, provides 

 that the labels of the canned sardines shall state the country or locality from which the fish are packed, 

 as an indication of the species. 



5890'— 20— Bull. 908 1 ■ 



