Physicochemical characteristics, protein hydrolysis, and textual properties of surimi during fermentation with Actinomucor elegans

Abstract

Solid-fermentation is a promising way of producing novel surimi-based food. In the present study, changes in physicochemical characteristics, protein hydrolysis, and textual properties of surimi during the fermentation, including pehtze preparation, salting, and ripening stages, were studied. The protease produced by Actinomucor elegans led to continuous hydrolysis of surimi protein, reflected from the high value of protease activity which reached 69.34 U/g after pehtze preparation stage, the decrease of protein bands intensity in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis image especially for bands of 200, 43, and 36 KDa, and the increasing contents of free amino acids and trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen. Hardness, springiness, and cohesiveness of the surimi all decreased during pehtze preparation stage, increased after salting, and decreased again after ripening, while adhesiveness kept increasing until the ripening stage started. Scanning electron microscopy images showed a dense and soft microstructure of surimi after ripening. The final surimi product showed high overall acceptability and no Enterobacteriaceae was detected.