## 3 Results and Discussion
A very strong negative correlation was obtained between salt and a\({}_{w}\) contents for the control group, with R\({}^{2}\) values ranging from 0.98 to 0.99, while a strong correlation also occurred for the experimental group, with R\({}^{2}\) values ranging from 0.85 to 0.99 (Table 1 and Supplementary Tables S2 and S3). The higher the salt concentrations of brined samples were, the lower the \(\mathrm{a_{w}}\) values became for both the control and experimental groups. The lowest values corresponded to the dry-salted samples for each group. Water activity is a growth-limiting factor for microorganisms. According to FDA guidelines [16], the minimum \(\mathrm{a_{w}}\) to allow the growth of _Staphylococcus aureus_ is 0.83, and the minimum level to allow toxin formation using salt is 0.85. The \(\mathrm{a_{w}}\) values for dry-salted anchodies of both groups were usually found to be within the safety limit on the 1 st week, as suggested by the FDA in order to prevent bacteria growth or toxin formation. The \(\mathrm{a_{w}}\) levels of brined anchodies dropped to the safety level for the control group on the 1 st and 3 rd months for the salt concentration groups of 30 and 25%, respectively. This level was reached earlier for the experimental group on the 1 st and 2 nd weeks for 25 and 30% salt concentrations, respectively. The levels were found to be above 0.85 for the other salt concentration levels in both groups. Therefore, this study demonstrates the benefits of using previously frozen and thawed raw materials in the salting of anchodies in terms of food safety. The results of [PERSON] et al. [11] and [PERSON] and [PERSON] [23] also supported our findings. Therefore, these results imply that using salt concentrations above 25% during brining and dry-salting methods could easily prevent the food safety of salted anchodies during refrigerated storage. Moreover, using previously frozen and thawed raw materials has an advantage over using unfrozen raw materials in terms of the food safety of salted anchodies. The pH of the salted anchodies significantly dropped from the initial value and then increased with the significant changes for both groups (\(p<0.05\)). The pH levels of the experimental group decreased faster than those of the control group, with the lowest value being 5.63. Significant differences occurred between the two groups as well as among the salting methods and salt concentrations (\(p<0.05\)). Although the pH value of the product is essential both for its degree of spoilage and food safety, it is commonly used to evaluate a product's safety. The pH of fish immediately after being caught was reported to be between 6.0 and 6.5. Fresh fish is acceptable up to a pH of 6.8, but is considered to be spoiled above a pH of 7.0 [44]. However, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [7] pointed out that at pH 6.5, which is the post-mortem pH of the tissue, the basic proteases play an essential role in the degradation of myofibrillar protein and the solubilization of connective tissue. Therefore, this parameter is used in combination with other spoilage parameters, especially for processed fish products. The pH values of all groups were found to be within acceptable levels at their rejection by sensory evaluation despite rising pH during storage. Moreover, [PERSON] et al. [45] pointed out that muscle enzymes such as cathepsin play a role in the ripening process. This is particularly true for cathepsin C, which shows activity at pH 5.5-6.0. Therefore, the pH values of dry-salted and brined anchodies prepared from previously frozen and thawed raw materials are usually superior to those of products obtained from unfrozen raw materials. It was also reported that a pH below 5 prevents most pathogenic bacteria growth or toxin formation [16; 43]. The levels of pH obtained for all groups were above 5, indicating that this parameter cannot be used to judge the product safety of salted anchodies.