Gel Forming Ability of Tropical Tilapia Surimi as Compared with Alaska Pollock and Pacific Whiting Surimi

Abstract

Setting and thermal treatment effects on texture and color of tropical tilapia surimi gels were compared to Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting gels. Heat treatments that most favored intrinsic gelling factors of a fish species exhibited strong gel formation. Whiteness values increased as total thermal inputs increased, which reflect the increasing opacity of the gels. Pollock gels were generally the strongest and whitest. Tilapia gel quality was generally second to pollock gels, however, in heat treatments using setting temperatures ≥ 40 °C, tilapia gels were comparable (60 °C setting) or superior (40 °C setting) to pollock gels. The optimum heat treatment for tilapia surimi appeared to be a 40° C setting for 1 hr followed by a 90 °C cook for 15 min. SDS-PAGE patterns of gels prepared with 60°C setting followed by 90 °C cooking elucidated the various degree of protein degradation depending upon the species in a descending order of whiting, tilapia, and pollock.