Blind test of 7 types of instant grilled mackerel: The top product is a domestic refrigerated product

A blind test was conducted to check the quality differences among commercially available instant grilled mackerel products, hiding their brands, origins, and prices. According to a video released on the YouTube channel 'Ipjilui Chueok TV', seven types of instant grilled mackerel sold at large marts and on the internet were comparatively analyzed based on criteria of moistness, nuttiness, salinity, and fishy odor suppression.

Blind tasting removing brand and origin bias

This comparison was planned for consumers with high demand for convenience foods, such as single-person households. The participant in the video stated that all information was hidden to remove bias regarding brand recognition, origin (domestic and Norwegian), product state (frozen and refrigerated), and price. The cooking of the products was carried out in a microwave, following the cooking examples specified in each product's manual.

There are four evaluation items. 'Moistness', representing moisture content; 'Nuttiness', related to fat content; 'Degree of saltiness', to see if the salinity is appropriate; and 'Fishy odor suppression' were each scored between 1 and 5 points. The participant conducted subjective scoring based on extensive experience with fish, and the video was structured to finally reveal the three products that received the highest scores.

Quality differences by product and evaluation results of the 7 types

The seven products showed significant differences in quality depending on their origin and cooking state. One of the Norwegian products was so oily that oil pooled at the bottom of the plate, while some of the domestic products were characterized by having wide bodies and no patterns. The price difference between products showed nearly a two-fold difference, ranging from a minimum of 3,656 won to a maximum of 6,711 won per 100g.

The scores for each product were tallied as follows. Product No. 1 (domestic, frozen) received 1 point in the fishy taste suppression category, recording a total of 12 points. Product No. 2 (Norwegian, frozen) received the lowest score of 1 point in the moistness category, totaling 12 points. Product No. 3 (Norwegian, frozen) recorded a total of 17 points, and Product No. 4 (Norwegian, frozen) recorded a total of 18 points, receiving 5 points in nuttiness. Product No. 5 received the highest score in this test.

The 1st place product with 19 points, characteristics of the domestic refrigerated product

The product that took 1st place overall is Product No. 5, which recorded 19 points. This product was confirmed to be a refrigerated product using domestic raw materials. The participant explained that this product received a perfect score of 5 in the moistness category and also received 5 points each in the appropriate salinity and fishy taste suppression categories. In particular, it also recorded 4 points in the nuttiness category.

The participant mentioned the texture of Product No. 5, adding that if this product is domestic, it is a great result. As a refrigerated product, it was noted for receiving a perfect score in moistness, and it was characterized by showing a high score for fat content despite being domestic.