Effects of microbial transglutaminase and starch on the thermal gelation of salted squid muscle paste

Abstract

The addition of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) to salted squid muscle paste greatly strengthened the elasticity of the thermal gel, which was produced by the preferential crosslinking of myosin heavy chains through a two-step heating process that consisted of setting at 40°C and subsequent heating to 80°C or 90°C. Starch increased the breaking strength of thermal squid gels, but decreased the deformation. Thus, the starch-added gels became harder and less elastic. Although, when both MTGase and starch were added to squid muscle paste, the changes in viscoelasticity and myosin cross-linking reaction were similar to those with MTGase alone during setting, the storage and loss moduli of the paste sharply increased with an increase in starch content above 70°C. Subsequently, the thermal gel texture became more brittle or breakable than gels prepared by setting with MTGase only.