The problem of grained salmonid roe falsification and ways for its solution

The paper examines the problem of falsification of edible fish products, which concerns producers and consumers worldwide. Food products are most often falsified by imparting them some of the most typical features, for example appearance, upon the overall worsening or losing the other most significant properties of nutritional value, including safety. Market analysis shows that there is a tendency of replacing natural roe with imitated roe by its selling in metal and glass jars with indication of the address of the Far Eastern producer. It has been established that the protein content is not higher than one percent upon imitated roe production using modern technologies. To establish product authenticity, a methodology for measuring the protein mass fraction in grained salmonid roe by the Kjeldahl method was developed. The metrological characteristic of the developed methodology in three concentration ranges is presented. The used values can serve for identification of claimed properties with the specified indicators of accuracy, trueness, repeatability and reproducibility. In addition to the methodology, product organoleptic indicators are proposed, including assessment of appearance, consistency, taste, odor, as well as specific features of the cooking test that can serve as distinctive features and are taken into consideration in identification of grained salmonid roe.