The Chemical and Sensory Quality of Smoked Sturgeon (Huso huso): A Case Study

Abstract

In this study, the tail flesh of sturgeon acquired from the fish market in Besiktas-Istanbul, Turkey was put through hot smoking. The chemical composition of raw and smoked sturgeon was determined. The protein, lipid, ash, and moisture of the muscle tissue in raw and smoked sturgeon were found to be 17.63 to 17.49, 6.07 to 9.59, 0.79 to 2.71, and 75.42 to 68.40%, respectively. Both the raw fish and the smoked fish meat were categorized to possess high quality characteristics with pH, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), and trimethylamine nitrogen (TMA-N) values. After smoking, the skin color lightness (L*) of raw fish was determined to decrease, while the flesh color lightness of raw fish was determined to increase. The redness (a*) and the yellowness (b*) of both the skin and the flesh were determined to increase. Sensory parameters of color, smoke aroma, flavor, texture, chewiness, and overall acceptance for smoked sturgeon was described as excellent and its flesh tasty.