Effect of organic salts on setting gels and their corresponding acids on kamaboko gels prepared from squid Todarodes pacificus mantle muscle

Abstract

The present study evaluated the quality of setting gels prepared by adding sodium acetate, sodium gluconate, sodium citrate, and sodium succinate to Todarodes pacificus mantle muscle meat, and of the acid-induced kamaboko gels produced by soaking the setting gels in their corresponding acid solutions. The breaking strength was the lowest for the setting gel treated with sodium acetate. The pH values of the acid-induced kamaboko gels decreased when soaked in acid, whereas their moisture contents, whitenesses, and breaking strengths increased. The citric acid-induced kamaboko gel had the highest whiteness index and breaking strength among the gels. The sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns did not show large differences among the gels, except for a low-intensity polymer band in the gluconic acid-induced kamaboko gel. Sodium citrate combined with citric acid yielded the best-quality acid-induced kamaboko gel among all the combinations, so this condition was used to study the effect of organic salt levels. The breaking strength increased when a sodium citrate level of up to 3% was used for the sodium citrate-treated setting gel, and 10% for the citric acid-induced kamaboko gel. The SDS-PAGE patterns did not differ among the sodium citrate levels. Egg white and microbial transglutaminase were necessary for citric acid-induced kamaboko gel production.