1Central Research Laboratory, Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd., Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0991, 2Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
To validate the remarkable setting ability of southern blue whiting surimi, gel strength and degree of myosin polymerization during setting were examined in comparison with walleye pollock surimi. As a result, gel setting proceeded more rapidly in southern blue whiting surimi than in walleye pollock surimi accompanied with a higher degree of myosin polymerization in southern blue whiting surimi. To determine whether the difference in degree of myosin polymerization observed in both surimi depends on the difference in susceptibility of myosin to transglutaminase, susceptibility of southern blue whiting myosin and walleye pollock myosin to carp transglutaminase was compared. As a result, more rapid myosin polymerization was observed for southern blue whiting myosin, suggesting that southern blue whiting myosin was more susceptible to transglutaminase than walleye pollock myosin. A similar result was obtained when the susceptibility of southern blue whiting myosin and walleye pollock myosin to transglutaminase from both species was compared. Our findings suggest that the remarkable setting ability of southern blue whiting surimi is possibly due to higher susceptibility of myosin of this species to transglutaminase.