Influence of Anjo process on water behavior and quality of salted-dried mullet roe Karasumi

Abstract

　Karasumi, a salted-dried mullet (Mugil cephalus) roe, is consumed worldwide. Anjo is widely utilized to increase the drying rate of Karasumi during the manufacturing process. However, the detailed influence of different Anjo processes (pressing, wrapping, and pressing-wrapping) on the water behavior and quality of Karasumi during drying remains unclear, and thus, their effects were investigated. Moisture content and ¹H T₂-enhanced images obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis clarified that the pressing Anjo method was the most effective in promoting the drying of Karasumi. An increase in Young’s modulus and acceleration of browning were observed in the pressed sample with the progress of drying. Furthermore, the pressed sample did not exhibit the surface irregularities and internal cracking observed in the control sample. Therefore, the pressing Anjo process during the production of Karasumi is effective not only in accelerating drying, but also in improving its visual properties, such as shape and prevention of cracking.