Relation between Protein Concentration and Physical Property of Heated Gels Formed from Three Fish Species Surimis on Mixing with Albumen Powder

Frozen surimis of arabesque greenling (AG), walleye pollack (WP) and their mixture (AG+ WP) were thawed and mixed with 0 similar to 2/3 times its volume of water and 0 similar to 3% albumen powder (AP), and ground with 3.0% NaCl(w/w). The salt-ground meat was preheated at 25 degrees C for up to several hours, and heated at 90 degrees C for 30 minutes to obtain the heated gel. The relation of the physical property of the heated gel and the concentration (C) of the total protein (surimi+ albumen) of the heated gel was investigated. The results are as follows : 1) The setting gel was obtained from WP and (AG+ WP) but not from AG. 2) The exponential relation between C and the breaking strength (BS), (BS= k . C-n k, n = const.) of the heated gel obtained from the surimi of AG was virtually unchanged by addition of AP, whereas the exponential relation of the heated gel obtained from WP and (WP + AG) with AP was evidently different from those formed without AP. 3) The highest value of the breaking strain (bs) of the heated gel without AP was almost similar in level with that formed with AP, although the bs value varied depending on fish species used for a material of surimi of the heated gel. The results suggested that the heated gels formed with setting and those without setting proceeded in different mechanisms in the heat-induced gel formation made of surimi and protein with AP. (Received Feb. 1, 2010; Accepted Jul. 6, 2010)