Volatile Components in Kamaboko(Seasoned Steamed Minced Fish Paste) and Its Supporting Wooden Plate by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and white fir (Abies concolor) wood plates are commonly used as the supporting base of the kamaboko cake. The volatiles in frozen minced fish of Alaska pollack, kamaboko (seasoned) and its supporting wooden plate were concentrated by simultaneous steam distillation and solvent extraction (SDE). The headspace volatiles of the steamed minced fish and kamaboko (seasoned) were concentrated on Tenax GC by the dynamic headspace purging method. The capillary column GLC/MS of the SDE concentrates indicated over 137 peaks of which 113 compounds were identified or tentatively identified, and the GLC/MS of Tenax GC concentrates indicated over 51 peaks of which 49 compounds were identified or tentatively identified. The identified compounds in kamaboko supported on the sugi plate were sesquiterpenoids, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, pyrazines, esters, furans, hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons and miscellaneous compounds. These sesquiterpenoids which are constituents of essential oils originated from the sugi plate. No essential oil constituent was detected from the kamaboko supported on the white fir plate. The essential oil content was 0. 6% with sugi and 0. 004% with white fir. Each component was quantitatively measured based on an internal standard (β-phenethyl acetate) using the total ion intensity obtained by scans from m/z 20 to 250 at 1-s intervals. Uncooked minced fish and steamed minced fish have an unpleasant fishy odor, but kamaboko has little odor. It is considered that the pleasant odor of kamaboko depends on a good balance of odorous volatiles in raw materials, i. e., minced fish, mirin (sweet sake) and other flavoring matters. In addition, sesquiterpenoids transferred from the sugi plate to kamaboko during heating play an important role in improving of its flavor. © 1987, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.