Physicochemical stability of paddlefish (polyodon spathula) meat under refrigerated and frozen storage

The objective of this study was to determine the composition and the physicochemical properties of paddlefish meat under refrigerated (0°C) and frozen (-29°C) storage. Paddlefish meat contained 79.0% moisture, 17.5% protein, 3.1% fat, and 1.0% ash. Under refrigerated storage, protein solubility and shear force of the meat decreased after 3 days, whereas TBARS increased from 4.5 to 8.0 nmole/g meat after 7 days. During frozen storage, protein solubility decreased by 20% at the beginning and continued to decline during the first 5 months, while shear force declined after 3 months and TBARS increased from 5.0 to 7.8 nmole/g meat only after 5 months (p < 0.05). There was no significant degradation of myosin during refrigerated storage. In addition, neither refrigerated nor frozen storage significantly altered the thermal stability of the muscle proteins.