Abstract:

The activities of cathepsins B, H and L, pH, gel strength, folding flexibility, water-binding capacity (WBC) and
whiteness of surimi from the four major Chinese carps (grass, black, silver and bighead) were investigated before and after
the industrial rinsing process. The results indicated that the quality of surimi from all these Chinese carps was improved
significantly. Meanwhile, gel strength and folding flexibility, water-holding performance and whiteness value were
significantly increased, and the activities of cathepsins B, H and L were decreased significantly. Cathepsin H was almost
completely removed, whereas cathepsins B and L were was retained to a large extent. The surimi gel strength and WBC of
the four Chinese carps decreased in the following sequence: black carp ＞ silver carp ＞ bighead carp ＞ grass carp.

Key words:  four major Chinese carps, rinsing, surimi quality, cathepsin