A quick loss of myosin cross-linking ability of Arabesque greenling dorsal muscle during its refrigerated storage

Abstract

Arabesque greenling in rigor state was used in this study. Meat from the fish was ground with 3 % NaCl and incubated at 25 °C. Significant myosin cross-linking and monodansylcadaverine incorporation into myosin heavy chains were both observed. These events were easily lost upon storage of the fish for a few days at 5 °C, indicating a quick inactivation of transglutaminase (TGase) during the storage. Crude TGase extracted from the meat of fish in rigor state also lost the activity upon its storage at 5 °C. The loss of activity seemed not due to degradation of the enzyme by endogenous proteinases from an inhibitor addition test. Storage of fish meat with sorbitol suppressed TGase inactivation during the storage. A similar stabilizing effect of sorbitol on the enzyme was confirmed with crude enzyme. AG meat from the fish in rigor state showed a setting effect with a clear increase in the breaking force and strain upon preheating at 25 °C. Such setting effect was not detectable for commercial AG surimi. Thus, it was suggested that no setting effect found with commercial AG surimi is due to significantly decreased TGase activity in it.