Oregon Sea Grant

Achieving proper levels of salt and moisture in the production of smoked fish is a critical step in preservation. Salt analysis by official methods can be expensive and time consuming and requires skilled technicians. However, a good estimate of salt and moisture can be obtained quickly using a much simpler (but perhaps less accurate) test which relies on "Chloride titrators" and a microwave oven. This technique is accurate enough for quality control purposes, requires relatively inexpensive equipment, and is easy to learn. However, to be sure smoked products meet regulatory requirements, samples should be submitted to qualified laboratories as necessary to verify accuracy of in-house testing.