Effect of Polysaccharide Compound on Quality Characteristics of Salt-reduced Fish Balls during Storage

In this study, fish balls with a 30% salt reduction were prepared by using octenyl succinic anhydride modified starches (OSAS) and κ-carrageenan (KCG) with different compounding ratios (6:0, 4:2, 2:4 and 0:6). Using the high-salt fish ball group (HC) and the 30% salt-reduced fish ball group (LC) as controls, the quality characteristics of reduced salt fish balls stored at -18 ℃ for 180 days were determined. The results showed that the physical and sensory properties of fish balls in LC group showed an overall downward trend compared to those in the HC group. The whiteness of the reduced-salt fish balls was improved and their water-holding capacity and texture properties were significantly enhanced with the addition of OSAS/KCG (P<0.05). With the increase of storage time, the total volatile basic nitrogen and thiobarbituric acid value of fish balls were increased significantly (P<0.05). At the end of storage time (at 150~180 d), the total volatile basic nitrogen of fish balls in the LC group were exceeded the national standard requirement value of 30 mg/100 g, while the addition of OSAS/KCG was effectively reduced the total volatile basic nitrogen of salt-reduced fish balls, which was lower than 30 mg/100 g, and it extended their shelf life more. In addition, with the extension of storage time, the saltiness and umami of fish balls were significantly weakened (P<0.05), and their sourness was significantly increased (P<0.05). Moreover, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in flavor between the fish balls of the 2:4 (w/w) of OSAS/KCG (L-2-4) and the HC group. The fish balls in the L-2-4 group had a moderate saltiness and umami, and displayed the highest overall acceptability score. These research result demonstrated that a 2:4 complex of OSAS/KCG can improve the quality characteristics of salt-reduced fish balls during storage.