Effect of wheat fibre in frozen stored fish muscular gels

Abstract

The technological effect of wheat fibre, as a healthy ingredient in which consumers are interested, was studied in surimi gel products. Three and six per cent wheat fibre with different particle sizes was added. Functional properties of wheat fibre, such as water retention capacity (WRC), swelling (SW) and fat adsorption capacity (FAC), were determined. Elastic modulus (G′) of surimi with 6% wheat fibre was lower throughout thermal gelling. Under scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), gel samples with added fibre presented uneven distribution of fibre. This induced the formation of a non-homogeneous protein net associated with lower gel strength, cohesiveness and water binding capacity (WBC). The sensory panel found no differences in appearance but differences in texture among samples containing different proportions and types of fibre. Fibre with large particle sizes protected surimi from loss of gel strength and hardness during freezing. There were very few variations during frozen storage of different samples.