Five tropical freshwater fish species: setting ability and other characteristics of the minces

摘要

Setting ability and other characteristics of the minces of freshwater snakehead, wild mullee, wild tilapia, genetically improved farmed tilapia and river shad were studied in order to investigate their potential use in the manufacture of surimi. Mince was prepared from fillet. A portion of the mince was washed with water containing 0.1% NaCl. Both washed and unwashed minces were ground with 3% NaCl for 20 min at 4 deg C and incubated at various temperatures for one- and two-step heating. The resulting gels were subjected to punch, expressible moisture and folding tests. Gel hardness and colour of the minces were evaluated organoleptically. Wild mullee, snakehead and tilapia minces showed good setting ability. Genetically improved tilapia produced better quality gel compared to the wild ones. Optimum gel strength was observed in between 40-50 deg C and gel disintegration occurred at 60-70 deg C. Gels prepared by two-step heating had higher gel strength except the river shad. A single washing of the mince substantially improved the texture and colour of the gels. River shad mince produced very poor quality gel even after two washings. A comprehensive investigation on the river shad with improved washing technique is required.