Abstract
Dried salted abo is a popular fishery product in San Miguel Bay (SMB), Philippines. However, the development of this food product has not been fully explored. In this study, the proximate composition and muscle protein profile of dried salted abo was investigated after confirming the molecular identification of abo found in SMB. Sequence analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I genes suggested that abo in SMB could be Otolithes ruber. Abo fillets were brined in 4%, 8%, and 12% salt concentrations (w/w) and sun-dried for 6 and 12 hrs. In both 6 hrs and 12 hrs drying time, moisture content decreased in samples brined with 12% salt, suggesting that the salt concentration could be lowered between 8–12% with 6 hrs drying time. Additionally, the proteolytic profiling by SDS-PAGE analysis detected 17 bands in the myofibrillar protein fraction. Subsequent mass spectrometry identified nine proteins, of which the myosin heavy chain, actin, and keratin were degraded while the other proteins remained stable. Moreover, at 12% salt concentration, changes in staining intensities in several proteins were observed at both 6 hrs and 12 hrs drying time. These findings revealed that the applied salting and drying conditions led to the degradation of myosin heavy chain and polymerization of actin, in addition to an overall alteration of protein profile, which could affect the texture of dried abo product. Overall, this study demonstrated molecular evidence for species identification of abo for the first time. The information on proximate composition and changes in the protein profile of dried salted abo obtained from this study could help the local dried fish industry develop high-quality dried abo products with low salt content.
Highlights
Among the top fish producing countries globally, the Philippines ranked ninth in 2017 with a total production of 4.125 million metric tons (FAO, 2019)
It has been reported that the prevalence of elevated blood pressure in the Philippines is increasing, and the salt intake of adults is higher than the recommended amount by the World Health Organization (WHO) (DOST-FNRI, 2016b; Lasco et al, 2020), which could be attributed to the dietary habits of the Filipinos
This study was able to confirm the collected abo is Otolithes ruber through molecular identification. It demonstrated that salt concentration and drying time influenced the proximate composition and protein profile of dried salted abo
Summary
Among the top fish producing countries globally, the Philippines ranked ninth in 2017 with a total production of 4.125 million metric tons (FAO, 2019). The Bicol region, encompassing the south-eastern part of Luzon Island, is the second leading contributor in municipal or small-scale fisheries (DA-BFAR, 2019), and San Miguel Bay (SMB) is the most productive coastal fishing ground in the Bicol region (Bailey, 1982; Mines et al, 1982; Pomeroy and Pido, 1995). It is characterized as a large, shallow estuarine water body with a soft (muddy and sandy) substrate (Silvestre and Hilomen, 2004). Several studies on dried salted fish investigating the effects of different salting methods on proximate composition have reported that by brine salting and dry salting, there was a considerable loss in moisture due to heavy uptake of salt and an increase in ash and protein contents
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