TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF THE TENSILE-STRENGTH OF FISH MYOSIN GEL

The temperature dependence of the extension stress of myosin gel was e xamined as the simplest model of kamaboko in order to elucidate the me chanism of the elasticity of kamaboko, one of the traditional processe d fishery foods in Japan. Myosin was extracted from greenling Hexagram mos otakii, and concentrated to 85 mg protein/g gel. The myosin was gr ound with 0.6 M KCl and gelled by heating at 80 degrees C for 20 min. The results were analyzed according to the equation derived from therm odynamics. The extension stress decreased with rise in temperature in the 10-80 degrees C range, and accordingly the entropy along with the inner energy were found to increase with extension under a constant te mperature. Based on these results, a model structure of the myosin gel was presented. According to the model, the force which is responsible for returning the myosin gel to its original state is a strong aggreg ation force, or the inner energy. As a result, the elasticity of the m yosin gel was concluded to be energy elasticity.