TASTE AND TEXTURE OF ABALONE MEAT AFTER EXTENDED COOKING

Abalone meat was cooked for 0, 15, 30, 60, 180, and 360 min, and chang es in the taste and texture during cooking were studied. During cookin g, the weight of meat decreased, and it was 65% of the original weight after cooking for 360 min. Collagen content in the meat decreased wit h a concomitant decrease in the hardness of meat (r=0.82). The amount of adenosine 5'-monophosphate increased after cooking for 15 min and l eveled off. The total amount of free amino acids increased after 15-30 min, then decreased. On the contrary, the amount of oligopeptide-boun d amino acids kept increasing until 360 min, both in the cooked meat a nd the drip. In the dominant amino acids of the oligopeptides, collage n constituents amino acids such as glycine, hydroxyproline, and prolin e were included. By the sensory test, the characteristic abalone taste and odor became stronger as the cooking time increased. This might be the reason why Japanese cookbooks recommend cooking for an extended p eriod such as 15 or 180 min.