BOTTAS book about the different approaches to determine the freshness of seafood, which is the most important quality criterion in this type of food, fills a long existing gap in the literature on this aspect of fish technology. The author starts with a description of freshness and quality and moves then further to the different methods available for the determination of freshness. The first part of the book (almost 50%) is dealing with chemical and physical methods. The chemical methods seem to be described almost completely but the more advanced instrumental methods used nowadays in research like purge and trap chromatography, gas chromatography with olfactometry, MS, sensor technologies as electronic nose etc are missing.
Microbiological methods and microorganisms as indicators of freshness and/or spoilage are not contained in the book. This is a big disadvantage because the first state of freshness is generally terminated by the onset of microbiological activity in fish muscle leading to unpleasant odours and flavour.
Many pages are filled with different methods for the measurement of texture and other parameters of Surimi and Surimi based products. Here it is difficult to find the direct correlation with freshness. Being a Canadian, BOTTA mentions also some typical local Canadian developments which are not used in Europe like the "Crab Life Detector" which was developed for snow crabs. Numerous pictures of Canadian equipment for texture measurement fill a lot of pages too. Under physical methods the rnentioning of the "Fischtester" is missing. This apparatus was the first development for the measurement of conductivity in fish and is still available and well working. However, BOITA mentioned only two other instruments working on the same principle, the UK Torrymeter and the Icelandic RT-meter.
50% of the book are devoted to sensory methods and obviously here is the main expertise and enthusiasm of the author. The chapters are well written and are suitable as an introduction to fish sensory in general. The information collected is complete and cannot be found elsewhere in such a condensed form.
In this first edition a number of typing-errors are found (Kstsuwanus pelamus instead of Katsuwonus pelamis, page 32, CEILAB instead of CIELAB, page 52, volitle instead of volatile, page 160 etc), which should be eliminated. It should also be avoided that almost identical figures appear twice (Fig. .2 and Fig. .4). Literature is well collected and complete: ref. 281, however, should not be the draft but the report itself which is available since August 1992.
Altogether this book is a good step further forward to a concise, practicable and complete definition of seafood freshness.
J. OEHLENSCHLXGER Wer und Was In der deutschen Fleisch-, Fisch-, Felnkost-ln-