Relationship between Texture of Kamaboko and Its Mechanical Properties

Abstract

The unique elastic texture of kamaboko, which is known as "ashi", is one of the most important factors to evaluate quality of kamaboko. Since ashi can bejudged only by mechanical factors such as firmness, toughness, shortness, chewyness etc., no objective measurement for evaluating ashi has yet been established. In this study, we examined the relationship between an organoleptic evaluation and rheological measurements of kamaboko. (1) Results of an elongation test showed that the product of the breaking stress and the breaking elongation-ratio correlates with toughness of ashi. Elongation curves of kamabokos which were pre-incubated (suwari) before heating and those of Odawara style were concave. Generally, kamabokos which showed a straight type of force-deformation curve were of good quality. The Mooney-Rivlin plots for kamabokos which were subjected to suwari showed straight lines. (2) Results of a compression test showed that the quotient of the breaking stress divided by the breaking compression-ratio relates with firmness but Young' s modulus is not closely related to hardness of kamaboko. (3) It was found that the loss modulus of not-chewy kamaboko was remarkably small. Although we could not characterize the quality of ashi completely by only mechanical parameters, the analysis of force-deformation curve pattern led us to roughly distinguish quality of kamaboko. The curve pattern could be a clue to the quality evaluation of kamaboko.