MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 79 



the meat fibers being broken and the whole fish a trifle softer. These 

 changes were more marked in fish from the same pack which had been 

 frozen and thawed three and six times. After having received this 

 treatment six times, the fish were quite soft, those which had been 

 packed too "green" being difficult to remove from the can without 

 breaking and tearing apart. The texture of the tissues of the fish 

 which had been dried enough or too much changed very little after 

 the pack had been frozen twice, but slight changes were detected in 

 the same pack which had been frozen and thawed three and six 

 times. In the case of the fish which lost an excessive amount of 

 moisture during the drying process, the oil taking the place of water 

 in the tissues served to protect them during the subsequent freezing 

 and thawing. 



In nearly ail cases the flavor of the fish was slightly impaired by 

 freezing and thawing. This was not always readily determined, for 

 these packs were put up under conditions which did not allow the 

 best flavor and taste to be conserved. In one pack which was not 

 properly dried the soapy taste, so often present when fish are in- 

 sufficiently dried, was very pronounced in all the cans opened. In 

 a. pack put up from excessively salted fish the lack of flavor was very 

 pronounced, particularly when the fish had been dried so long that 

 the oil flavor predominated. 



The most marked changes caused by freezing and thawing took 

 place in the mustard sardines. In nearly all cases, particularly when 

 frozen six times, the mustard sauce lost its homogeneous appearance, 

 and, where the fish had not been sufficiently dried, was partially de- 

 colorized. The change in the texture of the flesh was more pro- 

 nounced than in the case of oil sardines, being apparent when frozen 

 and thawed only twice. When frozen six times, the fish were soft, 

 even mushy in some instances, and could not be taken from the can 

 without breaking • and tearing. The texture of the flesh was de- 

 stroyed, the tissues becoming granular and friable. The loss of flavor 

 v/as very pronounced, much more so than in the case of the oils. 

 The fish from Castine Bay were dry, brittle, mealy, and practically 

 tasteless, particularly when dried too long. These fish, when ex- 

 cessively salted and dried, were not quite as dry or as mealy after 

 being frozen and thawed. Packed in mustard sauce, these fish were 

 tasteless, dry, and brittle, while packed in oil they retained some of 

 the fish flavor and were less dry and brittle. 



In conclusion it may be said that freezing and thawing have no 

 noticeable effect on the appearance of oil sardines. The change in 

 the texture of the meat and the impairment of taste and flavor are 

 slight when frozen and thawed twice, but more marked after they 

 have been frozen and thawed a greater number of times. The dam- 

 age resulting to oil sardines is directly proportional to the amount of 



