With global seafood production increasing to feed the rising population, there is a need to produce fish and fishery products of high quality and freshness. Water holding properties, including drip loss (DL) and water holding capacity (WHC), are important parameters in determining fish quality as they affect functional properties of muscles such as juiciness and texture. This review focuses on the water holding properties of Atlantic salmon and evaluates the methods used to measure them. The pre‐ and postmortem factors and how processing and preservation methods influence water holding properties and their correlations to other quality parameters are reviewed. In addition, the possibility of using modelling is explained. Several methods are available to measure WHC. The most prevalent method is the centrifugation method, but other non‐invasive and cost‐effective approaches are increasingly preferred. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods and future trends are evaluated. Due to the diversity of methods, results from previous research are relative and cannot be directly compared unless the same method is used with the same conditions.

Water and salt uptake, and water holding capacity (WHC) of whole gutted Atlantic salmon superchilled at sub-zero temperatures in refrigerated seawater (RSW) were compared to traditional ice storage. Following the entire value chain, the whole salmon was further processed, and fillets were either chilled on ice or dry salted and cold-smoked. Changes in quality parameters including colour, texture, enzyme activity and microbial counts were also analyzed for 3 weeks. Our results showed that when fish were removed from the RSW tank after 4 days and further chilled for 3 days, an overall weight gain of 0.7%, salt uptake of 0.3% and higher WHC were observed. In contrast, ice-stored fish had a total weight loss of 1% and steady salt uptake of 0.1%. After filleting, raw fillets from whole fish initially immersed in RSW had better gaping occurrence, softer texture, lower cathepsin B + L activity but higher microbiological growth. Otherwise, there were no differences in drip loss nor colour (L*a*b*) on both raw and smoked fillets from RSW and iced fish. Storage duration significantly affected quality parameters including drip loss, colour, texture, enzyme activity and microbial counts in raw fillets and drip loss, WHC, redness and yellowness in smoked fillets.

This study investigated combination technologies with nisin and chitosan as a potential broad-spectrum hurdle technology for the preservation of vacuum-packaged cold smoked salmon (CSS). First, the in vitro effects of nisin and chitosan, alone and in combination, were assayed against Listeria monocytogenes , Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Vibrio cholerae , and Photobacterium sp . The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of nisin was 4.0 to 8.0 µg/mL in Gram-positive (G +) bacteria and ≥ 512 µg/mL in Gram-negative (G-) bacteria, except for Photobacterium sp., which displayed an atypically low MIC for G-bacteria of 2.0 µg/mL. The MIC for chitosan was 0.3 to 0.6 mg/mL for L. monocytogenes , 0.8 mg/mL for S. aureus , 0.6 mg/mL for Photobacterium sp . , and 1.3 mg/mL for V. cholerae and E. coli . Interactive effects of nisin and chitosan combined were additive for G + bacteria and Photobacterium sp . , and synergistic for V. cholerae and E. coli. Second, challenge studies with L. monocytogenes cocktails inoculated on vacuum-packaged CSS were performed to demonstrate the inhibitory effects of nisin and chitosan alone and in combination during storage at 4 °C. Both nisin and chitosan independently displayed an inhibitory effect on L. monocytogenes growth, and even more so when combined. During the storage period, an increase in texture parameters and a decrease in redness and yellowness were observed across samples. Samples treated with nisin and chitosan appeared darker than the others, but this was only evident on Day 1. No significant differences in breaking force, redness, or yellowness were found among the treatments.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of combining recyclable packaging materials in preserving the quality of microwave-treated chicken meat. Specifically, it assessed the combination of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) with modified atmosphere packaging (100% N₂ and 60% CO₂:40% N₂). Quality parameters, such as cook loss, color, microbiological stability, and sensory analysis, were monitored over 36 days. Gas composition, oxygen transmission rate (OTR), and thermal properties were also examined. Results indicated that after heat treatment, no statistically significant differences were observed among the packaging materials in terms of cook loss, color, and microbiological shelf-life. However, the PP trays exhibited a higher OTR than PET trays after heat treatment and contact with the chicken. While heat treatment did not affect the thermal properties of either tray, the PP trays showed a shift in crystallization and melting temperature after 28 days of food contact, indicating changes in material properties over time. Sensory analysis revealed lower acceptance scores and more negative sensory attributes for samples in PET trays, possibly due to the suitability and sealing properties of the films for heat treatment. These findings suggest that while microwave treatment effectively extends the microbial shelf life for chicken, the choice of packaging material and gas composition may influence other aspects through storage, such as sensory perception and material integrity.