February 15-18, 2009 Washington State Convention Center Seattle ...

DEVELOPING VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS FROM PADDLEFISH MEAT
Changzheng Wang*, Lingyu Huang, Cecil Butler, Richard J. Onders and Steven D. Mims
Human Nutrition Program
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, KY 40601 USA
changzheng.wang@kysu.edu
Hot smoke processing enhances the value of paddlefish meat. A group of experienced chefs indicated that whole paddlefish after
heading and gutting known as a bullet can be processed into a product that not only looks and tastes good, but also provides
the versatility chefs need to serve it in ways appealing to customers. The objective was to determine the optimal brine strength
and brining time needed to assure the adequate salt content (approx. 3.5%) of smoked whole paddlefish. Four paddlefish each
were brined either in 10% or 15% salt solution for either 24 hr or 48 hr. At the end of the brining, fish were rinsed in tap water
and left to dry at 4 o C overnight. They were hot smoked until the internal temperature reached 165 o C for 30 min. After cooling
down in a refrigerator, the smoked fish were vacuum-packed and stored at -20C before analysis. The smoked meat was
homogenized in a grinder. Two gram samples were soaked in distilled water for two hrs. The supernatant was used for salt
analysis by a salt analyzer. Higher brine strength and longer brining time resulted in significantly higher salt content in the
smoked fish. Fish brined for 24 hr in the 10% brine achieved adequate level of salt content without making the product overly
salty. The results indicate that 10% salt solution and 24 hr brining time should be used to brine whole paddlefish before smoking
processing for a consumer-safe product.
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