Abstract
In order to resolve the relationship between type V collagen and post-mortem softening of fish meat during chilled storage, the breaking strength and type V collagen content of meat were measured in seven fish species. The meats of seven fish species were classified into three groups according to the type of textural change. Three types of meat showed earlier softening than others. Two types of meat showed gradual softening and the other two types showed no softening during 1 day of chilled storage. The relative contents of type V collagen were different among fish species. The content of striped jack meat was fivefold that of tiger puffer immediately after death. The ratio of decline of type V collagen content during 1 day of chilled storage showed a significant relationship with the softening ratio (%/24 h, r=0.8914) and average softening rate (%/h, r=0.9195). In other words, the meat that contained most type V collagen showed notable and early softening after the death of the fish. These results suggest a correlation between type V collagen and post-mortem softening of fish meat during chilled storage.
