Effect of Fish Attributes and Handling Stress on Quality of Smoked Arctic Char Fillets

Arctic char hatched at 6.5 and 9.5 °C and later divided into large, medium, and small size groups were assigned to processing (1) without handling stress, (2) immediately after handling stress, (3) at 24 h after handling stress, and (4) at 48 h after handling stress. Stress reduced gut weight and muscle a* value, increased muscle L* for the 9.5 °C group, decreased muscle L* for the 6.5 °C group, and increased fillet weight loss after brining. Fillets from the stressed, 9.5 °C group absorbed more brine, increasing salt and ash content of smoked products. A 24‐h stress recovery decreased total‐ and water‐phase salt. Fish hatched at 9.5 °C appeared to be more sensitive to handling stress than fish hatched at 6.5 °C. A 48‐h stress recovery increased gut weight and enhanced muscle L*.