Acid solubilization isoelectric precipitation to remove off odors and flavors associated with farm raised channel catfish

Many catfish producers are burdened with the chronic management problem of producing off-odor/flavor catfish. The objective of our research was to apply an acid solubilization isoelectric precipitation (Acid-SIP) process as a post-harvest processing technique and evaluate its effectiveness at eliminating or reducing the off odors and flavors associated with off-odor/flavor catfish fillets. Data indicates there were no statistically significant reductions (p > 0.05) in geosmin and MIB concentrations between Acid-SIP samples and non-Acid-SIP samples. However, the data did show a trend in that Acid-SIP samples had lower concentrations of the compounds, with the exception of cooked geosmin samples. Our research indicates the Acid-SIP process produces a low fat protein product with strong gel characteristics. Results show the process has the capability to lower off-odor/flavor compounds, although further research is needed to refine the process and prove its efficacy.