The origin of free fatty acids formed in frozen cape hake mince (Merluccius capensis, castelnau) during cold storage at −18°C

Abstract

AbstractHake mince was stored at −18°C and samples were withdrawn at intervals during a 300‐day period. The extracted lipids were examined for free fatty acid (FFA) and phosphorus (P) content. Total FFA contents were corrected for a phospholipid contribution and converted into genuine FFA contents. Using these genuine FFA contents and the knowledge that the loss of one mole of lipid‐P produces two moles of FFA made it possible to calculate the separate contribution of the phospholipids and the neutral lipids to the FFA formed on storage.It was found that FFA originated from both phospholipids and neutral lipids and after an initial rapid surge of FFA formation from both sources the rates declined and became virtually constant. The results for the Cape hake are compared with literature data of the Atlantic cod and the Baltic herring.