Effect of Enzyme Supplements on the Production of Fish Sauce from Male Capelin (Mallotus villosus)

Abstract

Male, inshore capelin and salt (4:1 w/w) were used to prepare fish sauce. Addition of proteolytic enzymes (fungal protease, pronase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, squid protease) or squid hepatopancreas to minced and salted capelin inceased the rate of protein solubilization during the first month of the fermentation. After 13 months, the free amino acid content of fish sauce prepared from mince was 4.4% compared to only 2.7% for sauce prepared from round fish and 6.3% for sauce prepared from mince containing hepatopancreas. Supplementing mince with fungal protease, pronase, or trypsin resulted in somewhat lower yields of free amino acid, 3.3, 3.3 and 3.6%, respectively. Alanine was the most abundant free amino acid in all samples (11.9–13.0 mole %) except pronase supplemented mince (15.6 mole % leucine) and hepatopancreas sup-plemented mince (11.5 mole % glutamic).Preference analysis of capelin fish sauce by a panel, comprised of individuals of S.E. Asian descent, showed that the product supplemented with squid hepatopancreas was highly acceptable and preferable to a commercial product from the Philippines. Regression analysis with preference score as the dependent variable and total free amino acids as the independent variable showed a positive correlation (r2 = 0.745). With total free amino acids, average hydrophobicity of free amino acids, ratio of acidic to basic residues, and non-amino acid nitrogen as independent variables, the r2for multiple regression analysis was 0.792.