The influence of lipids on fish quality

Summary The lipids in fish muscle can influence product quality through interaction with other components. In frozen storage of lean fish such as cod and haddock it is established that hydrolysis of phospholipids gives free fatty acids capable of interacting with protein to produce texture deterioration, although the mechanism of this interaction is not yet clarified. Rancidity is more commonly associated with lipids in fatty fish. Some seasonal aspects of the rancidity problem for lean fish are discussed and it is suggested that some fish may be highly susceptible on a seasonal basis not through variations in the lipid or in the natural anti‐oxidant tocopherol, but through the presence of other materials or biological processes predisposing tocopherol to rapid destruction, with consequent abnormal development of rancidity.