Transport of Oxygen Through Ice and Frozen Minced Fish

The storage life of frozen fish depends, in part, on quality degradation due to oxidation of lipids. In minced fish products, transport of oxygen through the frozen material is one possible mechanism for supplying the required oxygen to the reactive lipids. Oxygen transport through ice and minced fish at —5°C was determined using a Clark-type oxygen electrode in a sample of known geometry. Oxygen permeability of ice appeared related to physical defects of the ice samples. Fast frozen ice had widely varying permeability values, while slow frozen ice varied over a more narrow range. Ice thickness and annealing procedures affected observed permeability values. Slow frozen minced fish was more permeable to oxygen than slow frozen ice, and coating of the minced fish with a slow frozen ice glaze resulted in reduced oxygen transport.