Use of NMR in fish processing optimization: a review of recent progress

The goal of this review is to give an overview of general trends in the application of the NMR related to fish processing and quality and to provide some viewpoints on the current situation. Three novel examples of the application of the methodologies magnetic resonance spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, and low‐field NMR are also presented. The capability of these techniques to be utilized as a tool to optimize fish processing, and thereby improving product quality, as well as to confirm labelling information, are demonstrated. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. High‐field 1H and 13C NMR, 31P NMR, 23Na and 1H MRI, and low‐field 1H NMR can be used to better understand and improve the processing of fish. In the current review, it is shown how these techniques can be used in connection with for example profiling and ‘fingerprinting’ of fish raw material, analysis of fat and water contents, postmortem autolysis and storage, gross anatomy, freezing and thawing, and salting of fillets.