Effect of Temperature Change in Circulation on Quality and Biogenic Amine Content of Frozen Fish Dumplings

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of temperature changes in circulation on the quality and biogenic amine content of frozen fish dumplings and its intrinsic mechanism. The fish dumplings were flash frozen at −25 ℃ and then stored at −7 ℃ (simulated retail temperature), −7/−18 ℃ (simulated transportation temperature and diurnal temperature variation), and −18 ℃ (storage temperature) for 180 d. The results showed that with the increase in storage time, the brightness value L* and redness value a* of the fish dumplings showed continuous decrease, and the yellowness value b* and cooking loss gradually increased (P<0.05). Furthermore, the hardness, elasticity, and chewiness of the meat fillings were significantly reduced (P<0.05). In addition, the thiobarbituric acid content, carbonyl content, total volatile base nitrogen content, and biogenic amine content of the frozen fish dumpling samples subjected to the retail temperature and the transportation temperature were consistently higher than those of the samples subjected to the storage temperature during frozen storage. The results of the correlation analysis further showed that the quality of frozen fish dumpling stored at the retail temperature of −7 ℃ and the temperature fluctuation of −7/−18 ℃ for 90 d was similar to that of the frozen dumpling samples stored at −18 ℃ for 180 d. Therefore, it was important to maintain low and stable storage temperature during the circulation to slow down the deterioration of the dumpling quality and to safeguard its nutritional value.