Fish Processing products

Roe

Fish eggs have a high concentration of nutrients
and is a great source of vitamins.

Roe

Fish eggs that are consumed as food includes kazunoko (herring egg), tarako (pollock roe), ikura (salmon roe), sujiko (salted salmon roe in the sack), karasumi (mullet roe) and caviar. Fish eggs have antioxidants and contain immune-boosting vitamins like zinc and copper. On the down side, they are high in cholesterol.
【Kazunoko】 Herring eggs are called kazunoko in Japan. They are preserved in several ways, including being salted or dried. Because of the high price and elegant color, kazunoko is often referred to as “diamonds of the ocean.” Salted Kazunoko is prepared by soaking overnight in lightly salted water (salinity of about 1%), changing the water a couple of times.
【Tarako】 Brined pollock roe can be eaten uncooked or it can be grilled. The salt content of Tarako is about 5%.
【Mentaiko】 Spicy pollock roe made by soaking in a marinade which contains red peppers. The salt content is similar to that of tarako at about 5%. Although Mentaiko has a high salt content and it’s recommended to consume sparingly, if 20g of Mentaiko is eaten together with a bowl of rice, the salt content is about 1.1g. This small amount is similar to or less than many types of soups.
【Ikura/ Sujiko】 Brined salmon roe that is separated into individual eggs is called Ikura, while salmon roe still in the sack is called Sujiko. The same is true for trout eggs. Ikura contains about 1.2g of salt per 50g.
【Karasumi】 Karasumi is known as one of the top (and most expensive) Japanese delicacies. It is made by curing the roe sac of mullet in salt over the span of a couple days and then dried under the sun. The salt content is around 5%.
【Caviar】 Brined sturgeon eggs is called caviar and it is one of the top three delicacies of the world. Russia and Iran are known for their all natural caviar. Caviars to be exported are brined in 7 to 10% salt, but if sold in the country of origin, 3 to 5% salt is sufficient.

Measurement method

PAL-SALT PROBE is recommended to measure salinity of the fish eggs to test the brined level and quality control of different batches. The ability to directly insert the probe into the fish egg makes it more convenient than other instruments.
For the highest accuracy, mince the fish roe and dilute with water (by dilution factor of 10). Mix well, let settle for a few minutes, and then measure the liquid solution. We recommend the PAL-SALT for this type of measurement.
PAL-SALT and PAL-SALT PROBE use the conductivity method to detect salt in a sample. Since fish roe is very dense, roe can be difficult to measure. For the most precise results, we recommend mixing 10g of minced roe with 90g of distilled water.
Select from PAL-SALT,PAL-SALT PROBE,PAL-03S(or PAL-04S,05S),PEN-SWto measure salt water used for cleansing the fish roe.
Contact ATAGO for more details.

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The Salt Content of Roe (Rough guide)

・Kazunoko – Herring roe
1.2%
・Tarako
4.0~5.0%
・Karashimentaiko
5.6%
・Ikura
2.3%
・Ikura
4.8%
・Karasumi
3.6%
・Caviar
4.1%