A Headspace Gas Chromatographic Method for the Rapid Analysis of Ethanol in Canned Salmon

A rapid, simple method using a headspace sampling technique and gas chromatographic detection has been developed for the analysis of ethanol in canned salmon. This method was used to analyze canned salmon samples of four species of Pacific salmon (sockeye, pink, coho, and chum) for ethanol content. The highly significant correlation between ethanol content and sensory classification of decomposition in canned salmon found in previous work using different analytical methodology was confirmed in this study (r = 0.92, p < 0.001, Pearson's correlation; r = 0.95, p = 0.001, Spearman's correlation). This relationship has potential practical application for the confirmation of an initial sensory classification of the product.