Many people are familiar with white tuna, albino or pure-white variety. These types of tuna are usually labeled as “light” or “low fat” due to their color.
However, not all varieties of tuna are considered light in terms of nutrition. There is one kind of tuna that many people have never heard about – it’s just called “oily” tuna!
This article will discuss the differences between different colors of canned solid chunk tuna and what health benefits each type offers. Also, we will talk about oily tuna, why some people may want to limit it, and how to prepare it.
Color Differences
It is important to know which colors of tuna you should be eating. Unfortunately, most packaged foods do not clearly label their products so readers must also do research themselves or ask someone who knows more than us about this topic. (Note: Sometimes brands change the name of a product so make sure to check both names and what body shape they aim to appeal to.)
The main difference among canned solid chunk tuna is texture. Each bar or block of meat comes packed either in olive oil, butter, or coconut milk. This recipe has influenced the way most people cook tuna today.
Olive Oil
Most people use olive oil to fry the tuna because it does not burn easily.
How do scientists determine if tuna has scales or not?
The easiest way to identify whether or not a fish has scale coverage is by looking at their fins. If the fin is smooth, then there are no scales present.
If, however, their fin looks like it has small bumps, then that means that some of the skin layer has been replaced with thick layers of protective spines or scales.
This happens as the fish grows and expands its musculature in order to defend itself or gain an advantage from diving into water or hunting for food.
The thicker the spines get, the more difficult it becomes to tell how far down the spine goes because it covers so much area. These spines usually come in clusters which makes it even harder to determine what region of the body they came off of.
There are many different types of tuna
Most people know that canned light tuna is good for you, but what kind of tuna it is can make a difference. Not only does how to prepare tuna depend on whether or not there are scales on the fish, but which type of tuna is best for your health also varies by the type of oil used in cooking.
Tuna contains some omega-3 fats, but most of the fat comes from an unsaturated source. The two major oils that tuna is cooked with are olive oil and flaxseed oil. Both of these oils have significant amounts of mono-unsaturates (a type of saturated fat) and polysaturates (an edible form of vegetable oil).
Olive oil has been linked to higher risk of heart disease, while flaxseed oil may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It also has some important antioxidants that help keep your body healthy. Unfortunately, though, both of these oils contain small amount of omega-6 fatty acids, the more prevalent oil found in plants.
When consumed together, this imbalance can contribute to inflammation, a state where your immune system is working too hard to fight off pathogens or irritants. This can be caused by things like poor nutrition or stress, so making sure your eat well and manage your stressors is a way to prevent excessive inflammation.
You should probably avoid foods high in omega-6 if you’re looking to limit your intake of inflammatory substances.
Some have scales and some do not
Many people are curious about whether or not tuna has scales. Technically, every piece of fish has scales! But does canned solid white albacore tuna contain any sort of scale like material?
You may have heard that because these tuna chunks are made in a brine solution they do not taste good and sometimes even cause an allergic reaction. This is false information!
Tuna can be eaten without causing health issues unless you have a known allergy to seafood. There are several reasons why this misconception arises.
Some are fresh and some are canned
Many people believe that all solid white tuna is just plain old albino tuna! This isn’t true, however.
There are two types of albinos in nature- those with very light or no pigment and those with heavy amounts of melanin to protect them from excessive sun exposure.
Fish such as bluefish, yellowtail, and cobia are sometimes referred to as “albino” because they have very little coloration. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t contain any trace amounts of iron or zinc, both of which help give healthy skin its tone and protective quality.
These other minerals contribute slightly towards the production of vitamin D, one of our most important hormones due to the effect it has on bone growth. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium levels in your blood and bones.
Do I need to check for scales before I eat tuna?
Even though most people understand that “fresh” fish doesn’t contain any solid waste, some confusion arises when it comes to canned or fresh packed raw tuna. Many believe that because there are no visible crystals of salt on the surface of the tuna, then there are no leftover salts in the meat. This is not true!
You do not have to worry about eating enough sodium if you avoid canned/packed raw tuna. The FDA requires two percent of the weight to be made up of sodium. For one pound of albacore tuna, this equals two tablespoons (two spoons full)! That is an extra twenty-four grams of cooked food high in sodium.
This article will talk more in depth about why these types of foods can be harmful for your health and how to best prepare seafood.
Here are some photos of tuna to help you identify it
Many people associate fish with having scales, but not all fish have them- nor do they need them for taste or texture. Some fish don’t come out of the water very well because there isn’t enough coverage for their skin!
Tuna is one such fish that many people get confused about. They think either that all tuna has scales or none at all!
It is true that most types of fresh tuna pack in flavor more densely than other white meat fishes like flounder or salmon. This is due to two reasons: firstly, thinner cuts of tuna contain less fat which means more exposure of raw tissue, and secondly, the longer time spent cooking the thicker layer of protein breaks down and mixes better with other flavors.
But what kind of tuna actually doesn’t have much of a thick protective coating? And why would anyone want to eat something without those crunchy layers?!
We spoke with expert panelists to make sure we got the truth about whether or not canned solid chunk light tuna (like “white albacore”) have any sort of scale.
The taste will also help
Many people are curious about whether or not canned tuna has scales, and if they do, what kind of flavor it adds to the food. Technically speaking, no, fresh albacore does NOT have scale under our definition, but most brands do!
Most solid white meat fish like salmon and trout do have thin skin layer that comes off during processing. This is why some foods with raw seafood recipes call for these “skin bits” or “scalar pieces” to be removed before cooking.
The reason this happens is because as water moves away from the flesh in boiling or hot water processes, there is less moisture left behind, and sometimes some of the thinner layers get pushed up by the escaping fluid. These leftover flakes are usually discarded or added to other ingredients, depending on the recipe.
However, when baking or toasting foods, these layer can burn or break down slightly. This changes their chemical composition and how they taste. For this reason, many use brown flake style tuna instead. It is best to know which type of tuna has a thick, almost crunchy coatings and what kind does not to make your favorite dishes work.
Taste is very individual, so you should try one brand new and then compare it to the old one to see if there is any difference.
Some brands of tuna may not have recognizable scales
Even though most types of canned tuna probably do contain some amount of olive oil, that does not mean they have significant levels of oleic acid.
Olive oil is an essential fatty acid (EFAs), but there are several different types of EFAs. It takes almost 24 hours to break down all three of the major ones — omega-3 fats, omega-6 fats, and linolenic acid or LA, which comes from plants.
Some brands can just include plain old vegetable oil as their oil source, which doesn’t contribute any kind of EFA.
Other oils in the ingredient list may be perilla oil or sesame oil, both of which are rich in another important fat called gamma tocopherol. Both of these antioxidants help protect your heart and circulatory system by acting like small shields against free radicals.
Free radicals are unpaired electrons that exist outside normal atom structures. When there are too many, they can negatively affect cell function and even cause cellular damage.
But we have them for a reason: They play an integral part in how our body functions. Unfortunately, when you have enough of them, they can interfere with other molecules and cells in the body and create more oxidative stress.
That can lead to disease and early death. So to avoid ingesting potentially harmful oxidized fats, try to limit your intake of processed foods and sugar.