Resumen

VALLS, Jaime E  y  PAREDES, Ana. Physical and Chemical Characterization of the Sardine (Sardinella aurita). Rev. cient. (Maracaibo) [online]. 2010, vol.20, n.5, pp.546-554. ISSN 0798-2259.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical parameters of sardines (Sardinella aurita) recently captured during the months of May, June and July. The parameters evaluated were: proximate analysis (moisture, protein, fat and ash), iron, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, mercury, cadmium, lead, pH, lactic acid (LA), total volatile bases (TBV), thrimethylamine (TMA), proteins solubility in saline solutions (SPs), water-binding capacity (WBC), color (L, a and b), nucleotide degradation, %K-value, Hx/Ino, biogenic amines, and fatty acids profile. The main results were: proximate analysis showed significant differences between the evaluated months (P<0.05). The pH values (5.94 to 5.96), lactic acid (17.92 to 24.28 µmol/g), color: a (6.19 to 6.61) and L (40.54 to 46.10), reflect good muscle condition and visual appearance. The SPs (74.3 to 78.7%) and LE (15.0 to 18.5%) were indicative of excellent protein integrity. The pH, lactic acid, PSs and LE not showed significant differences (P>0.05) between months. The K-value (12.05 to 24.12) and the low levels of biogenic amine were also indicative of a high freshness raw material. The fatty acid profile showed a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (31.58 to 37.00%), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (14.19 to 16.06%) and docosahexaenoic acid (12.00 to 15.80%) which can be beneficial for human consumption and for the prevention of some risk illness. All these present values (physical and chemical) could be considered as representative and typical for this specie of sardine (Sardinella aurita) in fresh condition, together with proper handling and ice storage.

Palabras clave : Sardine; Sardinella aurita; characterization.