EFFECTS OF SORBITOL ON GELATION AND CROSS-LINKING OF MYOSIN HEAVY-CHAIN OF SALT-GROUND MEAT FROM WALLEYE POLLACK

Walleye pollack surimi without any additives was ground with 2.5% NaCl , 0.3% sodium polyphosphate, and 0 similar to 8% sorbitol. The salt-gr ound meat was incubated at 20 degrees C and 40 degrees C for setting, and again at 90 degrees C for 20 min to prepare setting-heating gel. B reaking strength (BS) and breaking strain (bs) of the setting and sett ing-heating gels with the cross-linking of myosin heavy chain (HC) wer e investigated as a function of setting time. The values of BS and bs of the gels formed through setting with 0.8% sorbitol were higher than those of the gels formed by setting without sorbitol. During the sett ing at 20 degrees C, cross-linked myosin HCs with small molecular size s in the gels with 8% sorbitol were formed in a large quantity as comp ared with those in the gels without sorbitol. However, in the setting at 40 degrees C, the increase of cross-linked myosin HC in the gels wi th 8% sorbitol was in a small quantity and was nearly identical to tha t of the gel without sorbitol. These results indicated that sorbitol i n surimi affected the cross-linking of myosin HCs of the salt-ground m eat and contributed to an improvement in gel formation of the meat.