Effect of high‐pressure treatments prior to cooking on gelling properties of unwashed protein from barramundi (Lates calcarifer) minced muscle

Abstract

Heat-induced gelling properties of barramundi minced muscle with 1.5% and 2% added salt were assessed after application of pressures at 300, 400 and 500 MPa at 4°C (initial temperature) for 10 min and subsequent cooking at 90°C for 30 min. Whiteness, gel-forming ability, water-holding capacity, hardness and springiness of the barramundi gels increased as applied pressure and salt concentration increased. At 2% salt concentration, high-pressure treatment results in barramundi gels with higher gel strength, mechanical properties and smoother texture as compared to conventional heat-induced gels (0.1 MPa, 90°C for 30). At a reduced salt concentration (1.5%) and pressure ≥ 400 MPa, the quality (gel strength, water-holding capacity, hardness and springiness) of pressurised cooked gels is comparable to those heat-induced gels with 2% added salt, but the microstructure is smoother. Scanning electron microscope images of pressurised cooked gels showed dense and compact network with smoother surface than those of heat-onlyinduced gels. Thus, application of high-pressure treatment prior to cooking could be an effective method to enable reduced salt concentration in barramundi gels.Pressure-thermal gelation of barramundi minced muscle at low salt concentrations B. Q. Truong et al.

Employment of κ‐carrageenan and high pressure processing for quality improvement of reduced NaCl surimi gels

“…The WHC of surimi gels reflects the ability of protein to retain water, and it is also important to customers and manufacturers (Cando et al, ; Truong et al, ). The WHC of RSS gels was improved from 66.73% to 69.01% by the addition of carrageenan (0.8 g/100 g) (Figure ).…”

“…An appropriate HPP pretreatment condition would promote the formation of a stable and dense 3D network structure, which immobilized water and captured it within the surimi gels (Ma, Yi, Yu, Li, & Chen, ). However, harsh pressure condition could result in the damage of functionality and mechanical properties of gels, leading to lower WHC (Truong et al, ). In our study, 300 and 400 MPa HPP levels were the optimized conditions in improving the WHC of RSS‐K gels.…”

“…In addition, the activity of endogenous protease is an important factor affecting the gel strength of surimi (Sutloet et al, ). The endogenous transglutaminase (TG) in surimi could catalyze proteins cross‐linking via the formation of covalent glutamyl–lysine cross‐links between glutamine and lysine of fish proteins (Zhu et al, ), and a prior HPP treatment might render greater access of TG to the targeted glutamine and lysine residues, thereby promoting intermolecular cross‐link formation and improving gel strength (Chen et al, ; Truong et al, ). Further studies are required for elucidating the mechanisms.…”

“…Following the principle of enhancing moisture–protein and protein–protein interactions, HPP can induce protein denaturation, aggregation, and gelation and subsequently improve the gel properties (Truong, Buckow, Stathopoulos, & Nguyen, ). Truong, Buckow, Nguyen, and Furst () showed that HPP (300, 400, and 500 MPa/10 min/4°C) improved the heat‐induced (90°C/30 min) gelation of unwashed protein from barramundi minced muscle with reduced NaCl percentage of 1.5% (w/w). Compared with cooked‐only gels, a substantial improvement in the mechanical and sensory properties of low‐salt (0.3%, w/w) Alaska pollock surimi gels was observed when treated with 300 MPa at 10°C for 10 min prior to cooking at 90°C for 30 min (Cando et al, ).…”

Impact of high‐pressure processing on chemical constituents and nutritional properties in aquatic foods: a review

“…The influence of high‐pressure treatment (300, 400 and 500 MPa at 4 °C for 10 min) and subsequent cooking at 90 °C for 30 min on heat‐induced gelling properties of barramundi ( L. calcarifer ) minced muscle with 1.5% and 2.0% added salt were determined recently by Truong et al . (). As a result, at a reduced salt concentration (1.5%) and pressure ≥400 MPa, the quality of pressurised gels was found similar to that of heat‐induced gels with 2% added salt.…”