In Vitro Perfused Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Tails: A Potential Model for Studying Post-Harvest Tissue Chemistry and Metabolism in Valuable Fish Tissues

Perfusion of fish tissues may provide a model for manipulating their properties post-harvest. Perfusion of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) tails in vitro with oxygenated physiological saline at 5 degrees C showed delivery to the muscle was at the ratio of 5.8:1 red: white muscle, respectively. Treatment with sodium nitroprusside (a nitric oxide donor) did not improve delivery to the white muscle. Perfusion at 15 degrees C with and without ascorbic and uric acids showed that the inclusion of antioxidants reduced protein oxidation but did not reduce lipid peroxidation in the red muscle. This technique, with further development, shows potential as a post-mortem research tool.