Minced fish meat (Alaska Pollack) was used to make ''Kamaboko'' sample
s containing additional NaCl (0-1 w/w%) and/or starch (0-10 w/w%), and
treated with alternating current (0-20 V) at various frequency (50 Hz
-10 kHz) to heat up to 90 degrees C. The resulting products were exami
ned for their breaking strength, color and fine structure. Heating rat
e was found to be dependent mainly on the frequency, and increased at
10 kHz 7.5 times as fast as that of a boiled sample. The products had
similar light values (L, a, b) and always higher breaking strength who
se highest value was 1.6 times as large as that of boiled one. The die
lectric loss was found to be maximum at around 10 kHz, indicating that
it would contribute to the quick heating and the better formation of
gel. These results suggest that water is individually separated in the
matrix of protein gel and that the gel has the maximum dielectric con
stant at specified frequency according to the gel structure and distri
bution of components.