Production of Dimethylamine in Muscle of Several Species of Gadoid Fish during Frozen Storage, Especially in Relation to Presence of Dark Muscle

During frozen storage at −5 C, dimethylamine (DMA) was produced in the muscle of five gadoid species. The amount was lowest in haddock and increasingly higher in cod, pollock, cusk, and hake. When the dark lateral muscle was removed from the fillets before freezing, formation of DMA during frozen storage was either inhibited or greatly reduced. Under the same storage conditions no DMA was produced in the muscle of halibut, plaice, redfish, or wolffish.