Abstract: In order to investigate the effect of moisture content on the quality of frozen Nemipterus virgatu sausages, the fish sausages with moisture contents of 76%, 78%, 80%, 82% and 84% were frozen at –20 ℃ and then thawed at 4 ℃, while their counterparts maintained at 4 ℃ served as control. The freezing curve, thawing drip loss, water-holding capacity, moisture distribution and state, texture, microstructure and sensory evaluation were measured. The results showed that the freezing point and thawing drip loss increased with increasing moisture content of sausages, while the opposite was true for the water-holding capacity, texture and sensory evaluation. The immobilized water was transformed into free water. The gel microstructure became more loose and the ability to bind moisture was weakened. The quality indices of N. virgatus sausages frozen at –20 ℃ were lower than those of the controls. In summary, the quality of frozen N. virgatus sausages can be improved by reducing the moisture content.

Key words: moisture content, freezing, Nemipterus virgatus sausages, quality