90 



BULLETIN 908, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table 38. — Composition of fresh and 24-hour-old fish before mid after being in pickle 

 from SO minutes to 2 hours. 





Water . 



Fat. 



Total 

 volatile 

 nitrogen 

 per 100 

 grams as 

 ammonia 



and 

 amines. 



Moisture and 

 fat free basis. 





Condition offish. 



Total 

 volatile 

 nitrogen 

 per 100 

 grams as 

 ammonia 



and 

 amines. 



Amino 



acid 



nitrogen. 



Acidity 



of fat 

 as N/20 

 sodium 

 ethylate 

 per gram. 



Fresh fish from weir: 



3 hours out of water, no pickle or salt. . 

 In pickle — 



Per cent. 

 69.00 



67.84 

 67.52 

 67.46 

 .67. 38 



71. 36 



68.24 

 69.65 

 69.40 

 66.99 



Per cent. 

 8.44 



7.57 

 8.47 

 8.63 

 6.62 



6.56 



8.28 

 5.43 

 5.42 



6.84 



Mg. 

 21.0 



21.0 

 18.6 

 18.6 

 18.6 



46.6 



37.3 

 35.0 

 32.6 



28.0 



Mg. 

 93.1 



85.4 

 77.5 

 77.8 

 71.5 



211.0 



169.9 

 140.4 

 129.5 

 107.0 



Mg. 

 2.50 



Cc. 



7.0 



1 hour 







li hours 







2 hours 



2.50 



2.40 



9.09 



Same lot 24 hours old: 



After standing 24 hours, no pickle or 



8.96 



In pickle — 





1 hour 















1.96 



9.20 







Packs of the fresh, 12-hour-old, and 24-hour-old fish were made in 

 oil and without oil, as well as from each lot held for different lengths 

 of time in pickle. In each pack the fish were steamed for 12 minutes, 

 dried for three-quarters of an hour in a tunnel drier, and then packed 

 in ordinary one-quarter cans. Oil was added to part of the pack; 

 the rest of the cans were left dry. The cans were processed at the 

 temperature of boiling water for 21 hours. The fresh fish packed 

 easily and quickly, and made a very good looking pack. At the 

 time of packing about half of the 12-hour-old fish and nearly all of 

 the 24-hour-old fish were belly-broken and soft. 



The results of these analyses, made as soon as the sardines were 

 allowed to cool after processing, are given in duplicate on samples of 

 fish packed in oil from the fresh lot, and after 2 hours in pickle, 

 and from the 24-hour-old fish, before and after they had been 2 

 hours in pickle (Table 39). 



The evidence of decomposition was quite marked in the goods 

 packed from the 24-hour-old fish which had not been in pickle. Hold- 

 ing both the fresh fish and the 24-hour-old fish in pickle for 2 hours 

 decreased the amount of ammonia and amines in the packs made 

 from them. The packs made from fish which stood 24 hours showed 

 a greater loss in alkaline material than those made from the fresh fish. 

 The acidity of the fat of the fish packed in oil and processed in- 

 creased slightly during spoilage and during the periods in pickle. 



