## 3 Results and Discussion
The changes in the levels of dry-salted samples were found to be insignificant throughout the storage after the 1 st week for the experimental group and after the 2 nd month for the control group. The values of salt and a\({}_{w}\) closely supported these findings (Figure 2). The lowest moisture content for the dry-salted control group was found on the 10 th day at 53.48%, while the lowest moisture value for the previously frozen and thawed group was obtained in the 4 th month at 54.28%. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [41] obtained moisture contents between 48.59% and 53.83% for salted-ripened anchovies (_E. anchio_). In our earlier study with commercial salted anchovies from different countries, varying moisture contents were obtained, although the levels were usually under/around 50% for dry-salted products [42]. Therefore, the values determined in this study were close to the values of previous findings. Significant differences were also obtained in the levels of salt content between the control and experimental groups (_p_ < 0.05). Salt uptake was significantly higher for the experimental group in comparison to the control group, with the exception of the 20 and 30% salt concentrations (_p_ < 0.05). Similar trends were usually obtained with WPS%, which was calculated from the moisture and salt contents of the products (Figure 2). The salt uptake rapidly increased up to the 2 nd week of storage for both groups. However, the increase was found to be significantly faster for the experimental group compared to the control group, with two exceptions (_p_ < 0.05). The changes were usually insignificant after the 2 nd week of storage. Moreover, salt concentration significantly affected the salt uptake in the brined products (_p_ < 0.05). The fastest salt uptake was represented by the dry-salted products for both groups (Figure 2). [PERSON] et al. [11] demonstrated that a dry-salting process with a salt concentration of 21% in all parts of the anchovy fillets devitalized _Anisakis pegreffii_ larvae in a 15-day period. In the present study, the salt content of previously frozen dry-salted anchovies supported this finding, as the salt content reached the same level in the 1 st month. Additionally, freezing and frozen storage also killed the most parasites, indicating the advantage of using previously raw materials during salting since salted products are used to marinate fish that is consumed without cooking; therefore, such products represent parasite health risks [43]. The salt concentrations of various commercially brined and dry-salted anchovies from various countries were determined to be within the safety limits [42]. The salt contents of the products closely affected their a\({}_{w}\) since the highest salt content resulted in the lowest a\({}_{w}\) levels (Figure 2). The initial a\({}_{w}\) level was found to be 0.996 for both groups and dropped at the end of the 2 nd week, followed by fluctuations in the levels for each group during storage (_p_ < 0.05). Starting from the 1 st week of brined anchovies at concentrations of 15 and 20% and starting from the 1 st month with other concentrations for the experimental group, with several exceptions, the changes in the a\({}_{w}\) values were found to be insignificant during storage. The changes in the a\({}_{w}\) of the control group also supported these results, mainly for 30% salt concentration and dry-salted anchovies. Significant differences were obtained among the concentrations of brine for both groups (_p_ < 0.05). Moreover, using fresh raw materials instead of previously frozen and thawed anchovies significantly affected the levels of a\({}_{w}\) values (_p_ < 0.05). The a\({}_{w}\) levels dropped significantly faster for the experimental group than the control group, which demonstrated the opposite trend with the salt uptake.