Abstract:

In order to improve the taste of freshwater mussel meat, tenderization was carried out by ultrasound-assisted
papain treatment. Using Box-Behnken experimental design, a quadratic regression model was developed indicating the effect
of ultrasonic power, ultrasonication time, and enzyme concentration on tenderization efficiency. Through response surface
analysis of the established model, the optimal parameters that provide the best tenderness of mussel meat were determined
as 6%, 150 W and 27 min for enzyme concentration, ultrasonic power and ultrasonication time, respectively. Compared with
individual treatment with papain, ultrasound and CaCl2, the combined treatment resulted in a 48% increase in soluble protein
content of mussel meat, with a simultaneous decrease in hardness and chewiness by 63% and 65%, respectively.

Key words: freshwater mussel, tenderness, ultrasound-assisted treatment, papain