Effect of high-content ultrasonically emulsified lard on the physicochemical properties of surimi gels from silver carp enhanced by microbial transglutaminase

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasonically emulsified lard combined with microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on the physicochemical characteristics of surimi gel from silver carp. Surimi gel with ultrasonically emulsified lard had higher whiteness, gel strength and water-holding capacity. Storage modulus and loss modulus decreased with the addition of lard or ultrasonically emulsified lard to the surimi. However, the gel strength and WHC presented a decreasing tendency in surimi gels with more addition of ultrasonically emulsified lard, because the gel network could not overcome the damaging effect of higher ultrasonically emulsified lard (>6 g 100 g(-1)). MTGase increased the cross-linking degree of gels (P < 0.05) regardless of the presence or absence of lard or ultrasonically emulsified lard. MTGase provided a denser and stronger gel network to ensure the stability of oil droplets. In general, the combination of ultrasonically emulsified lard and MTGase could effectively improve the color, textural and rheological characteristics of surimi-based products.

Automated summary

The study aimed to investigate the effect of ultrasonically emulsified lard combined with microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on the physicochemical characteristics of surimi gel from silver carp. Surimi gel with ultrasonically emulsified lard had higher whiteness, gel strength, and water-holding capacity. The addition of lard or ultrasonically emulsified lard to the surimi decreased storage modulus and loss modulus.