1Department of Food Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan, 2Bio-tech Engineering College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Vinegar cured kamaboko, which was prepared by soaking ground surimi containing egg white in acetic acid solution, was studied with special focus on the effect of egg white and setting on the gelation of acetic acid-induced surimi gel. Setting with egg white yielded strong gel when soaked in acetic acid solution. However, the surimi paste without egg white or setting did not gell. It was revealed by SDS-PAGE that myosin heavy chain (MHC) and cross-linked MHC in the surimi paste were degraded when soaked in acetic acid solution. From these results, it was suggested that egg white and setting prevented the degradation of MHC and cross-linked MHC in the gel when soaked in acetic acid solution. Therefore, the addition of egg white and setting procedure are indispensable for the production of vinegar cured kamaboko.