1National Surimi Manufacturers Association, Abashiri, Hokkaido 093-0057, 2School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shimizu, Shizuoka 424-8610, Japan
The contribution of components in walleye pollack frozen surimi to the heat-induced gel formed from it was investigated. The proximate composition and breaking strength (BS) and breaking strain (bs) of the two-step heated gel formed were measured. The results were as follows: (1) On addition of water (0-125%) or sugar (0-50%) to the surimi, the maximum values of BS and Gs (BS/bs) of the heated gel formed were decreased, although the rate of decrease with sugar was larger than that with water. (2) When the protein concentration in the heated gels was fixed, the increase in sugar concentration from 6.1 to 24.5% caused the decrease in the maximum value of BS while that of Gs was unchanged. (3) When the concentrations of protein together with moisture in the heated gels were fixed, the reduction in the sugar concentration from 7.7 to 3.7% in the heated gel did not change the maximum values of BS and Gs. These results indicate that the physical properties of the two-step heated gel can be designed by regulating its proximate composition.