Handbook of Food Science and Technology 3

Table 2.1.
 Comparison of the overall biochemical composition of
fish and land animal muscle (in g per 100 g of muscle) 
These variations in the fat content mean that particular attention must be 
paid during the processing of these products. In the case of meat, 
composition control is easier, since processors can require that suppliers 
provide raw materials of homogeneous and well-defined quality. In the case 
of fish, however, manufacturers must adapt to “wild” products, the 
composition of which fluctuates substantially. The effectiveness of salting 
fish, for example, strongly depends on the fat content; a lean muscle can be 
salted faster since the salt transfer is not hindered by layers of fat. 
Manufacturers must constantly adapt the salting process to the raw materials 
they receive.
Meat and fish can be classified according to the fat content in the muscle 
(Tables 2.2 and 2.3), even if the fat content in the meat varies greatly from 
one muscle to another. In beef, a muscle such as the latissimus dorsi (lumbar 
area) contains 0.6% fat and the rectus femoris 1.5% fat; the same muscles in 
pork contain 3.4% and 1% fat, respectively.
Rabbit Mutton Pork Beef 
Water (%) 
77.0 
77.0 
76.7 
76.8 
Intramuscular fat (%) 
2.0 
7.9 
2.9 
3.4 
Table 2.2.
Biochemical composition of the l. dorsi
muscle of land animals (based on [LAW 98]) 

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From Muscle to Meat and Meat Products 71 
Fish muscle is deemed white if its average fat content does not exceed 
1%, oily if it is above 5%, and intermediate if between 1 and 5%. Table 2.3 
shows the fat content of some fish, shellfish and crustaceans.
Content (%) 
Fish, shellfish and crustacean
(by English common name) 
Usually <1% 
Cod 
0.1–0.9 
Coalfish 
0.3–1.0 
Pollock 
0.6–0.8 
Whiting 
0.2–0.6 
Ling 
0.1–0.4 
Scallop 
0.3–0.9 
Usually between 
1 and 5% 
Seabass
 
0.8–2.5 
Plaice 
1.1–3.6 
Shrimp 
0.3–3.1 
Seabream 
0.8–3.3 
Halibut 
0.7–5.2 
Oyster 
0.3–2.2 
Hake 
0.4–2.7 
Ray 
0.1–1.6 
Dogfish 
3.9–5.6 
Sole 
0.2–2.3 
Turbot 
2.1–3.9 
Usually >5% 
Anchovy 
0.9–12 
Eel 
0.8–31 
Herring 
0.8–25 
Mackerel 
0.7–23 
Mullet 
0.2–14.8 
Sardine 
1–23 
Salmon 
2.0–18 
White tuna 
0.7–18.2