Improvement of gelation properties of silver carp surimi through ultrasound-assisted water bath heating

Abstract

Highlights Ultrasound improved the strength, textural properties and WHC of surimi gel. Ultrasound promoted the unfolding of α-helix structures of protein. Ultrasound facilitated the formation of more compact microstructures. Ultrasonic-assisted preheating treatment had the most remarkable improvement on the gel properties of surimi.

Physicochemical properties and microstructure of composite surimi gels: The effects of ultrasonic treatment and olive oil concentration

“…This conclusion was also in accordance with those reported by Yan et al [5] . Zhou et al [27] and He et al [19] found that the hydrophobic interactions were closely related to the gel strength. The reduction in hydrophobic interactions could result in a low gel strength, as was the case in the current experiment.…”

“…Fan et al [20] found that the gel strength of surimi was significantly strengthened with specific acoustic intensities of ultrasonic treatment (except for 0.35 W/cm 2 ), while He et al [19] also reported that ultrasonic treatment markedly improved the textural properties of silver carp surimi. Here, it was presumed that during ultrasonic-assisted heating at a low temperature, the physical and mechanical effects generated during the violent collapse of the cavitation bubbles promoted the dissolution of the myofibrillar protein and exposed more binding sites of endogenous transglutaminase, which is conducive to the increase in the covalent crosslinking intermolecular reaction in the heat-induced gelling process, leading to the enhancement of the puncture properties [29] , [30] .…”

“…In addition, the secondary structure of the gels treated with ultrasound at lower oil concentrations changed more significantly, thus indicating the presence of synergistic effects between the ultrasonic treatment and the low-oil content. Here, compared with the conventional heat treatment (WB), the ultrasound-assisted heating treatment could have induced the denaturation of the proteins, which led to the suitable unfolding behavior of the protein and the exposure of the sulfhydryl groups, thereby facilitating the formation of a crosslinked network structure [19] . Furthermore, smaller particle size oil droplets produced via the ultrasonic treatment could have been uniformly inserted into the surimi paste, thus enhancing the oil–protein interactions [2] and ultimately changing the protein conformation.…”

“…4 , there was a clear promotion in the microstructures of the composite gels heated via ultrasonic treatment. This was probably because ultrasonic-assisted heating treatment was conducive to better unfolding and dissolution of myofibrillar protein [19] , and the high-intensity shock waves generated by the implosion of the cavitation gas bubbles in the US group reduced the size of the oil droplets, which were sufficiently coated and entrapped by the dissolved protein [40] ; resulting in the formation of a more homogeneous and smoother gel composition. Both Li et al [13] and Zhao et al [41] also demonstrated that the oil droplets following ultrasonic treatment exhibited a small particle size and uniform dispersion.…”

“…Currently, ultrasonic processing is becoming increasingly common in the production of surimi-based products. Gao et al [18] reported that ultrasonic pre-treatment facilitates the formation of compact microstructures and improves the puncture properties of surimi gels, while He et al [19] found that ultrasonic treatment promotes the unfolding of the α-helix structure of proteins and enhances the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions between them, which significantly improves the gel properties irrespective of the sodium level. It has also been confirmed that the acoustic intensity of ultrasonic treatment prior to heating could result in secondary structural changes in proteins, thereby improving the gel’s strength [20] .…”