Abstract: Superfine fish bone paste, prepared by using wet superfine grinding from plaice bone, was added to Nemipterus virgatus surimi to develop calcium-rich surimi products. In order to investigate the effects of addition of different amounts (2.5%–12.5%) of fish bone paste on the quality of surimi products, the pH of surimi sol, the Ca2+-ATPase activity of myofibrillar protein, gel strength, texture properties, water-holding capacity, color, solubility and microstructure were examined. The results showed that adding fish bone paste had no influence on the pH of surimi sol. The activity of Ca2+-ATPase was apparently improved with the addition of up to 5.0% fish bone paste, due to the presence of Ca2+ in fish bone paste. The gel strength, texture, water-holding capacity and color were highest, while gel solubility was lowest in the surimi with 5.0% fish bone paste. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that adding 2.5%–5.0% fish bone paste to surimi could promote the cross-linking of myosin heavy chain and facilitate the formation of a compact and homogenous network structure in surimi gel, while excessive addition of fish bone paste could destroy the cross-linking and gel network.

Key words: fish bone paste, calcium-rich surimi products, calcium ion, gel quality