Effect of steaming and hot smoking treatment combination on the quality characteristics of hagfish (Myxine glutinosa)

Abstract

The hagfish (Myxine glutinosa), an eel-shaped demersal fish, is a potential protein source with a distinctive flavor. Additionally, the consumption of hagfish is believed to exert aphrodisiac activity. This study attempted to evaluate the effect of steaming and hot smoking treatment combination on the quality characteristics of hagfish under optimal conditions. There was a significant increase in the sensory attributes such as color, taste, aroma, and texture of processed hagfish (p < .05). Cooking the hagfish with this combination resulted in acceptable physicochemical and microbial properties. Additionally, the processed hagfish exhibited good nutritional value with high contents of protein (10.8 g), fat (5.4 g), carbohydrate (12.1 g), and calorie (140.2 kcal/100 g). The processed product can maintain its quality for 22 days at 10 degrees C. These results indicated that the ready-to-eat hagfish can be an alternative for healthy consumption of processed food and for the diversification of processed marine products. Practical applications Conventional foods are increasingly popular as they are ready-to-eat and simple to cook. The quality and nutritional value of these foods are important for the production process. Our study revealed that steaming in superheated steam roaster (SS) and hot smoking (HS) treatment combination improved the quality characteristics of hagfish meat, a popular fish in Korea. We optimized the temperature and duration of steaming and smoking for cooking hagfish. The processed hagfish exhibited acceptable sensory properties and marketable physicochemical and microbial properties. Our investigation resulted in a shelf-life improvement of the new ready-to-eat seafood product. The results of this study revealed that treating the hagfish with the combination of SS and HS can preserve its quality for 22 days when stored at 10 degrees C. Hence, this study establishes the procedures for preparing this product, which can be readily marketed.