Pasteurization and chilled storage of restructured fish muscle products based on glucomannan gelation

Abstract

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. The effect of pasteurization and stability during subsequent chilled storage of three fish restructured prototypes made with 1.25% glucomannan and fish mince (sawdust from cutting of frozen fish blocks) was examined through physicochemical (water binding ability, mechanical and rheological behaviour), microbiological and sensory analyses. Three lots were made: control lot (C); lot O (with 5% added fish oil), and lot S (with 0.8% added NaCl). The three lots were pasteurized (80°C 20min) and stored at 5°C. Analyses were carried out at 1, 7, 21 and 35 days of chilled storage. Pasteurization produced a significant decrease in water binding capacity (WBC) and cooking loss (CL), less evident in lots O and S, due to changes in structure. In the case of lot O, an emulsion was formed in gel network, making this sample less acceptable from a sensory point of view. The addition of salt (lot S) produced an ionic situation more conducive to protein-polysaccharide associations, thus reinforcing the gel network.