In the previous papers
1), 2), results of spectrophotometric studies on discoloration of
katsuobushi have been reported.
On the present work, histological pattern of muscular tissue in
katsuobushi was observed with a microscopic technique. While the muscle fibers in the normal portion of
katsuobushi were found lying compactly aggregated in some places (Figs. 1 and 3) and mutually separated in other places (Fig. 2), muscle fibers in a part of
shirata were always separated from one another, leaving large gaps between them (Fig. 4). In a pieces of
katsuobushi made from a muscular tissue of a large fat content like
sanriku-bushi (Fig. 2), a layer of fat was found distributed so as to fill up the interstices of muscle fibers keeping the fibers from close aggregation. According to the result of a test with Schiff's reagent, the fat in this condition is regarded to have been autoxidized. If the results of the previous reports are referred to, it may be said that the fat takes part in the turning ashy white of the fatty tissue with formation of
shirata and makes, further, a cause of the moldering of a
katsuobushi.
Apart from the concern of subcutaneous fat, skipjack specially suited to be manufactured into
katsuobushi is generally rather poor in the content of body fat. The muscular tissue of such skipjack is scarcely spreaded with fat (Figs, 5 and 6). But in the case of finished
katsuobushi it is general that fat exists as distributed throughout the muscular tissue (Figs. 1 and 2). To clarify the cause inducing this discrepancy, the histological change of muscular tissue that occurs in the manufacturing course for
katsuobushi was persuaded by observing the permeation of subcutaneous fat into the muscular tissue (Figs. 7, 8 and 9). The results of this inquiry indicates that subcutaneous fat goes distributed between the muscle fibers in the processing stage of smoking (according to the routine procedure,
katsuobushi is prepared by smoking a previously boiled flesh of skipjack and then drying the smoked flesh). The subcutaneous fat permeated into muscular tissue in the smoking process may thus be looked upon as a grave cause that induces the decolorization of
katsuobushi to the state of
shirata.
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