Frozen surimi was thawed, mixed with 10 150 water by weight, and the mixtures were ground with 3.0 NaCl. The salt-ground meats were preheated at 25°C and subsequently heated at 90°C for 30 min. Breaking strength (BS) and breaking strain (bs) of the gels were measured as a function of preheating time, and gel stiŠ-ness was calculated as Gs=BS/bs. The results were: (1) The maximum values of BS and Gs of the heated gels exponentially rose with the increase in protein concentration in the gels, whereas the increasing modes of bs values were diŠerent from with those of BS and Gs. However, it was clear that the maximum levels of all these measures were higher in the order of the gels from 2nd<2nd (special)<A<SA grade.