Soft-flesh suppression technology: Inhibiting the post-harvest effects of Kudoa thyrsites infection in farmed Atlantic Salmon

Description

The overall goal of this project is to reduce post-harvest myoliquefaction in Atlantic salmon caused by K. thyrsites infection. Currently there are no technological innovations to effectively respond to this problem. Limiting the damaging effects of K. thyrsites infection and conserving the highest possible quality of fresh product to be available to retailers and consumers is one of the immediate needs of the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry.

Food processing technologies could be used to mitigate the negative effects of K. thyrsites infection on fish flesh quality. High hydrostatic pressure treatment (HPP) and buffered storage media are innovative food technologies whose effectiveness to control myoliquefaction in fish has not been tested. It is possible that by storing the harvested fish in an alkaline buffer, the activity of the proteases might be neutralized, thereby suppressing the expression of K. thyrsites without requiring an additional stage of processing. This strategy will be tested by adding food-grade sodium bicarbonate to the storage medium of harvested fish.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2009 - 2010

Ecoregion(s)

Pacific: Vancouver Island West Coast

Principal Investigator(s)

Stewart Johnson
Email: Stewart.Johnson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca