Effects of salt, surimi and/or starch content on fracture properties of gels at various test temperatures

Shear fracture of fast-cooked surimi gels made from Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting and varying in surimi, moisture, salt, and starch contents was evaluated at various temperatures. Shear stress of gels containing 40% or 60% of either type surimi decreased as gel temperatures increased. Shear stress values of pol. lock gels containing 80% surimi were maximized as measured at 20-25°C, while shear strain values were maximized between 50-60°C. Lukewarm gels (20-25°C) exhibited 10-15% higher stress and/or strain values than cold gels (3-5°C). Effects of gel temperature on strain values at varied salt content were the most noticeable with 2% and 1.5%, The highest strain (˜3.5) value was measured when gels were made from 40% pollock surimi and 10% potato starch and tested at 55°C.