Optimum Chopping Conditions for Alaska Pollock, Pacific Whiting, and Threadfin Bream Surimi Paste and Gel based on Rheological and Raman Spectroscopic Analysis

Abstract

Chopping conditions to determine gel quality and manufacture surimi seafood are varied by all manufacturers. This paper covering three primary species for surimi with their suggested optimum chopping conditions: 15 min for Alaska pollock when chopped at 0 °C, 15 min for Pacific whiting at 15-20 °C, and 18 min for threadfin bream at 25-30 °C. The use of optimum chopping condition should maximize the value of each surimi and provide consistent quality to the end users.

Textural and rheological properties of Pacific whiting surimi as affected by nano-scaled fish bone and heating rates

“…G 0 declined after heating beyond 66 to 70°C. The decreased G 0 beyond this point was likely due to slipperiness of the gel between the cone and plate (Poowakanjana, Mayer, & Park, 2012).…”

Biochemical and gelling properties of silver carp surimi as affected by harvesting season and chopping time

“…Although winter surimi was less thermally stable than summer surimi (Figure ), α‐helical structure of the winter surimi kept almost unchanged during the chopping process. Poowakanjana et al () reported similar result that the helical structure of amide III of Alaska pollock surimi under chopping at 10°C for 21 min slightly decreased ( p > .05) compared to the one under chopping at 0°C for 6 min according to the Raman spectrum analysis. Winter‐type silver carp and Alaska pollock are close in thermal stability (Tironi et al, ).…”

“…The temperature of the summer surimi elevated in a higher rate than that of winter surimi. However, S o values of the summer surimi basically demonstrated a tendency of continuous increase, suggesting much more energy/higher temperature was required for thermal aggregating of the proteins (Poowakanjana et al, ). Different patterns in the change of S o values from two types confirmed that thermal stability affected the unfolding of fish proteins during chopping process.…”

“…The slight increase of the S o might be mostly related to the alteration of tertiary structure (Liu et al, ). In Raman spectrum, the increase in doublet ratio I 850 /I 830 indicates that the tyrosine residue is exposed and tertiary structure is opened to a greater extent (Poowakanjana et al, ). Liu et al () reported that the I 850 / 830 ratio of silver carp surimi significantly increased from 1.53 to 2.60 after chopping with 2.5% salt.…”

“…However, proteins continuously unfolded up to 18 min as evidenced by the increased S o and decrease of α‐helical structure (Figures and , respectively), implying that the proteins of summer surimi might be over‐unfolded when chopping time was extended to 15 min. Poowakanjana et al () suggested that continuous chopping under appropriate conditions could enhance protein unfolding, but an attempt to unfold protein does not necessarily correspond to improved gel texture. On the other side, the breaking force and penetration distance of winter surimi gel continuously increased as the chopping time exceeded 9 min, while proteins tended to slightly aggregate as indicated by the decreased S o (Figure ).…”