THE DIELECTRIC-PROPERTIES AND MOBILITY OF HYDRATED WATER IN DEHYDRATED KAMABOKO

Kamaboko prepared with a combination of NaCl and using the suwari trea tment (setting incubation) was used for the measurement of dielectric properties the state of bound water in dehydrated kamaboko. The appare nt dielectric relaxation times of hydrated water were varied according to the combination of NaCl content and the suwari treatment. The hydr ated water in the dehydrated kamaboko was divided in two groups with d istinct regions, which are separated at the apparent dielectric relaxa tion time of 10 mu sec. A 2.5% NaCl-suwari-heated sample with an 8.7% water content showed low- and smaller high-frequency dispersions, and each relaxation time was about 634 mu sec and 2.5 mu sec, respectively . The mobility and amount of bound water seem to be strongly related t o the gel strength and network structure of kamaboko. The present find ings reveal that not only the amount of bound water but also the exten t of water mobility, calculated as the dielectric relaxation time, is important for the analysis of the state of hydrated water in kamaboko.