Gelation of low salt soluble proteins from scallop adductor muscle in relation to its freshness

Abstract

: The low salt extract from scallop striated adductor muscle contained extra proteins in addition to sarcoplasmic proteins and was turned into a gel upon standing or immediately by the addition of Ca2+. The amount of extra protein, which was composed of a large amount of actin and a small amount of myosin, decreased with a decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in the muscle during storage at 5°C. Actin was easily extracted from scallop myofibrils in low salt solution with ATP at 1 mM or above. Furthermore, ATP was required to induce the gelation of the low salt extract. A visual observation of the gelation of low salt extract is therefore a simple and easy method to inspect prerigor state of scallop adductor muscle.