Effects of soybean phospholipids, ovalbumin, and starch sodium octenyl succinate on the mechanical, microstructural, and flavor properties of emulsified surimi gels

Abstract

Liquid oils are frequently used to improve texture, enhance color, and as processing aids to improve the quality of emulsified surimi products and address the lack of essential nutrients in raw surimi seafoods. To clarify the role of interactions between oil droplet and myofibrillar proteins of surimi-based products in determining the mechanical and microstructural properties of emulsified surimi gels, we investigated the effects of emulsifiers (ovalbumin (OVA), soybean phospholipids (SP), and starch sodium octenyl succinate (SSOS)) on the mechanical, microstructural, and flavor properties of emulsified surimi gels. The emulsion droplets in the SP-containing gel led to a significant decrease in the hardness, gel strength, and viscoelasticity, and experienced flocculation and were inhomogeneously distributed in the gel matrix. Conversely, OVA- and SSOS-containing gels exhibited elevated hardness, gel strength, and viscoelasticity, and featured homogeneously distributed emulsion droplets. The introduction of SP caused darkening, whereas that of OVA and SSOS resulted in enhanced gel whiteness. Finally, the release of flavor compounds from the gel matrix was faster for SP-containing gels than that for OVA- and SSOS-containing gels, which was attributed to the different gel structures. Thus, the introduction of additional emulsifiers facilitated the fabrication of emulsified surimi gels with tailor-made structures.