Frozen surimi from walleye pollack was ground with 2.5% NaC1 at various pHs in a range of 5.76-8.40, which were fixed by addition of dilute HC1 or NaOH. During setting of the salt-ground meat at 25°C, breaking strength and breaking strain were investigated as a function of time.
With the lapse of setting time, the breaking strength and breaking strain of the salt-ground meat both rapidly increased and reached their maximum plateau. The highest value was exhibited at pH 7.35 for the breaking strength and pH 6.5-7.6 for the breaking strain. The breaking strength and breaking strain both decreased with falling or rising of the pH from these values.
The mode and rate of cross-linking reaction of myosin heavy chain (HC) of the salt-ground meat depended notably on the pH for setting. At acidic pH, a large decrease in the amount of HC was accompanied by the formation of a relatively scarce amount of cross-linked myosin heavy chain (Σ HC
n=HC
n+HC
n'+HC
n") and unidentified components. In contrast, the decrease in HC with concomitant formation of Σ HC
n were both suppressed under alkaline pH.
These results indicated that a neutral pH of the salt-ground meat was essential for the formation of Σ HC
n in large quantitíes and a resulting contribution to elastic gel.
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