The effect of improving raw material quality on product quality and operating costs: a comparative study for lean and fatty fish

A comparative study of quality relationships observed in products made of lean species such as hake (Merluccius hubbsi) and cod (Gadus morhua) or fatty species like anchovy (Engraulis anchoı́ta) and farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is presented. A linear correlation between raw material and final product quality was found, with a lower slope in the case of white fish (R2=0.928), when compared with fatty species (R2=0.972) in a dimensionless scale. A greater influence of raw material quality on labour productivity and yield is observed when fatty fish is compared with lean species. It was also found that as raw material quality level rises these variables increase as well as operating costs decrease.