Abstract:

Lizardfish are considered as a low-market-value fish in Southeast Asia due to their appearance and susceptibility to spoilage. Most studies focused on the gel-forming ability of Saurida, while no information regarding gel-forming ability of painted lizardfish (Trachinocephalus myops) has been available. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of washing media and thermal treatment on gel properties of painted lizardfish surimi. Results showed that no modori phenomenon of lizardfish surimi occurred during preheating at a temperature from 30 to 100 ℃. Washing with CaCl2 solution could remarkably improve the gelforming properties of lizardfish surimi. Maximum values of break force and deformation were obtained using sequential treatment of washing with 0.5% CaCl2 followed by directly heating at 100 ℃ for 20 min, which resulted in the formation of an ordered and compact structure with finer strands and smaller pores in the matrix revealed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) observation.

Key words: lizardfish, surimi, washing media, thermal treatment, microstructure, rheological properties