생선 비린내, 생선 비린내가 나는 이

생선 비린내는 물고기의 근육에 있는 트라이메틸아민 옥사이드(TMAO)라는 화합물이 분해되면서 발생합니다. TMAO는 물고기가 소금기 많은 바닷물에서 생존하는 데 필요한 물질입니다. 

농도가 서로 다른 용액이 있을 때 물은 농도가 낮은 쪽에서 높은 쪽으로 이동합니다. 그래서 염분 농도가 높은 바다에 사는 물고기는 몸속 수분을 빼앗길 수 있어요. TMAO는 물고기 몸속의 염분 농도를 조절해 물고기가 수분을 유지하도록 도와줍니다.


물고기가 죽으면 TMAO는 미생물과 효소에 의해 트라이메틸아민(TMA)으로 분해됩니다. TMAO는 아무런 냄새가 나지 않지만 TMA는 특유의 비린내를 풍겨요. 

물고기가 죽은 후 시간이 지날수록 TMA가 더 많이 생겨서 비린내도 심해집니다. 비린내가 특히 심한 생선으로는 홍어와 가오리가 있어요. 홍어와 가오리의 근육에는 다른 물고기보다 TMAO가 많기 때문에 죽은 후 비린내가 더 강하게 납니다.

그렇다면 생선 비린내는 어떻게 줄일 수 있을까요. 우선 생선에 식초나 레몬즙을 뿌려 보세요. 비린내의 주 성분인 TMA는 염기성 물질이기 때문에 산성 물질인 레몬즙이나 식초를 뿌리면 중화시킬 수 있어요. 

생선가게에서는 미생물이 살지 못하는 환경을 만들기 위해 생선에 소금을 가득 뿌립니다. 생선에 소금을 뿌리면 몸 바깥의 소금 농도가 높아져 몸속 수분을 빼낼 수 있어요. 그럼 미생물이 살지 못해 TMAO가 분해되지 않아 비린내의 주범인 TMA를 차단할 수 있습니다. 

 

 

 

 

Fishy smell occurs when a compound called trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) in a fish's muscles breaks down. TMAO is a substance that fish need to survive in salty sea water.

Water moves from low to high concentrations when solutions with different concentrations are present. So fish that live in oceans with high salt concentrations can lose water in their bodies. TMAO helps fish to stay hydrated by controlling the salt concentration in their bodies.


When a fish dies, TMAO is broken down into trimethylamine (TMA) by microorganisms and enzymes. TMAO doesn't smell anything, but TMA has its own fishy smell.

As time goes by after the fish dies, more TMA occurs and the fishy smell gets worse. Skate and ray are fish that smell especially bad. Skate and ray have a stronger fishy smell after death because their muscles have more TMAO than other fish.

Then, how can you reduce the fishy smell of fish? First, spray the fish with vinegar or lemon juice. Since TMA, the main ingredient of fishy smell, is a basic substance, it can be neutralized by spraying it with lemon juice or vinegar, which are acidic substances.

Fish stores sprinkle a lot of salt on fish to create an environment where microorganisms cannot live. If you sprinkle salt on fish, the salt concentration outside the body increases, which can remove moisture from the body. This means that microorganisms cannot survive and TMAO does not decompose, which can block TMA, the main culprit of the fishy smell.