Fish Products and Byproducts Technology

Unit 3- Salting and Drying

3.1. Salting
What is salting?
Salting refers to addition of salt or soaking the fish in brine solution. Salting practiced as such or in combination with drying or smoking and is considered a practice as old as drying. Salting is usually done as such or in combination with drying or as a pre-treatment to smoking.
What is basis of preservation by salting?
When salt introduced into the flesh in sufficient quantity, it delays the activity of bacteria or even inactivates them and reduce enzymatic action by reducing the water activity. Loss of water due to salting and reduced water activity limits bacterial growth and enzyme activity, thus preserving the fish. The high salt content prevents the growth of normal spoilage microflora in the fish; but halophiles, which can survive 12-15% of salt, will survive.