Survival of Anisakis larvae in marinated herring fillets

The survival of Anisakis sp. larvae in herring fillets marinated in brines with different concentrations of salt (NaCl) and acetic acid was examined. Traditional German and Danish procedures for marinating herring fillets require a storage time of at least 5 and 6 weeks, respectively, for all larvae to be killed. Other concentrations of salt and acetic acid were also studied. A reduction of the salt content in the water phase of the fish tissue from 9% (w/w) to 4.3% (w/w), while keeping the concentration of acetic acid constant at 2.6%, increased the survival time of the nematodes from at least 35 days to more than 119 days. Increases in the acetic acid concentration or the addition of potassium sorbate had little or no effect on the viability of the larvae.