Changes in flesh lipids and fill oils of albacore (Thunnus alalunga) during canning and storage

Abstract

Three different parts of the muscle of cooked albacore were canned in soybean oil and stored at room temperature for 11 months. Cans were opened at different times; flesh lipids and fill oils were analyzed for free fatty acid (FFA), sterol (ST), and phospholipid (PL) contents, as well as fatty acid composition. The thermal treatment during the sterilization step produced a decrease in the flesh lipid content and increases in FFA, ST, and PL. Due to canning storage, the lipid content increased significantly after 7-11 months and the FFA and PL amounts decreased. With respect to fatty acid composition, an interaction between the two types of lipids exists. In the flesh lipids a steep increase in fatty acids abundant in fill oil was noticed (18:2,18:3), and at the same time the characteristic fatty acids of the flesh lipids in fill oil (22:6, 205, and others) showed an increase.