Extending the shelf life of set fish ball

Set fish ball is an extruded surimi-based product that is popular in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries. Oversetting of set fish ball occurs at chilled temperature during storage. Shelf-life extension of set fish ball by reducing oversetting conditions and microbial counts were examined. Encapsulated citric acid (CT) and glucono-delta-lactone (GDL) were used to reduce oversetting. Acetic acid, GDL and chitosan were used to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Shelf life was measured for a period of 21 days at 4C. At day 21, a reduction of 46, 56 and 26% in breaking force compared with the control (without additives) was observed for 0.5% GDL, 1.0% GDL and CT, respectively. GDL at 1.0% was shown to be the most effective in controlling the oversetting of set gel. Chitosan (1 %) dissolved in acetic acid maintained both aerobic plate and yeast counts at <1 log cfu/g throughout 21 days of storage.