Abstract:
Given to the quality deterioration, nutrients loss and the reduction of processing characteristics of frozen surimi gels, the present study was conducted to prepare surimi gels with a dual-network microstructure based on the TGase-induced covalent cross-linking of MP and the non-covalent interaction of curdlan with myofibrillar proteins. Additionally, the freeze-thaw stability of the dual-network surimi gels was further investigated in terms of gel strength, WHC, rheological properties, and ice crystal morphology. The results suggested that the gel strength and WHC of the TG/C dual-network surimi gels (0.4% TGase and 1% curdlan) showed the smallest decreases of 24.38% and 9.29% after five freeze-thaw cycles, respectively, compared with control group. In addition, the TG/C dual-network surimi gels showed a small size and uniformly distribution of the ice crystals. Differential calorimetric analysis indicated that the TG/C dual-network surimi gels had the lowest freezable water content and gel eutectic point, which demonstrated that the microstructure ice suppression strategy based on the dual-network structure modulation could slow down the ice crystal growth-induced deterioration of the gel quality, and enhance the freeze-thawing stability of the gel. The results of this study can provide theoretical references for the development and design of high-quality surimi gels with stable freeze-thaw quality.