EFFECT OF PRESSURE HEAT COMBINATIONS ON BLUE WHITING (MICROMESISTIUS-POUTASSOU) WASHED MINCE - THERMAL AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES/

Washed ground muscle of blue whiting was comminuted at low ionic stren gth and low temperature, and the batter was subjected to different pre ssure/heat processings. The functionality induced in the combined proc essed gels was evaluated by water holding and several rheological and fracture properties and compared to that obtained for traditional heat -induced gel. Ultrastructure was viewed by scanning electron microscop y. Protein denaturation was assessed by differential scanning calorime try (DSC), and the thermal behavior of pressurized gels revealed that pressure and temperature were interdependent. At nondenaturing tempera tures, the higher the pressure, the larger was the protein unfolding e ffect. At denaturing temperatures, pressure prevented fish protein fro m subsequent thermal denaturation. DSC demonstrated that pressurized s amples underwent both types of pressure effects at the same time. It t ransmitted a mixed character to the pressure-induced gels, which displ ayed a rheological behavior intermediate between cold-set and heat-set gels.