Effects of alginate, iota-carrageenan, soy protein concentrate (SPC), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), and sorbitol on physicochemical and sensory properties of red hake mince stored at -20°C for 17 wk were investigated. The addition of 0.4% alginate, 4% sorbitol, and 0.3% STPP kept the mince from hardening and improved its dispersibility during mixing. This is believed to be a result of reduced protein denaturation as evidenced by higher levels of water, salt, SDS-soluble proteins, and higher free sulfhydryl contents than the untreated control mince, which hardened with compact texture and exhibited considerable syneresis. Alginate appears to be responsible for preventing muscle fiber interaction through electrostatic repulsion and chelating Ca 2+ , thus improving dispersibility. Sorbitol and STPP with or without SPC and iota-carrageenan did not improve the dispersibility.

Objective tests for frankfurter textural properties were investigated by varying formulations and processing parameters and then correlating nine sensory textural attributes with eleven instrumental methods. The most discriminative instrumental parameters were compressive force at failure, compressive force at 50% deformation without failure, and maximum shear force. High correlations (r > 0.80) were found between compressive forces or shear force and sensory elasticity, firmness, and chewiness; stress relaxation and elasticity; total expressible fluid and juiciness; and expressible moisture and wateriness. Elastic recovery did not correlate with any sensory characteristic.

A formulation optimization study was conducted on surimi gels prepared with starch, and/or raw egg white employing the stepwise method (SM), linear programming (LP), and response surface methodology (RSM). At 78% moisture, the greatest gel strengthening and reduction . I of expressible moisture occurred at 8% starch, 6% egg white, or a combination of 5% starch and 5% ezz white for SM, 5.33% starch and 4.33% egg white for LP, and 3.5% starch and 5% egg white for RSM. RSM resulted in gels with the greatest strength (compressive and penetration forces), followed by LP and SM. The RSM enabled more accurate prediction of textural behavior of final product at various ingredient combinations than the SM or LP.