Summary The study investigated the properties and storage stability of Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) surimi gel exposed to ultraviolet irradiation for 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 h (UV0.5, UV1, UV2, UV3) before thermal treatment. The results showed that all UV‐irradiated surimi gels exhibited compact microstructure along with increased gel strength and water‐holding capacity than control. Investigations on chemical properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) from surimi showed that tryptophan fluorescence intensity declined while bromophenol blue‐binding capability increased after UV irradiation. Sulfhydryl content in MP of UV2 and UV3 decreased while their carbonyl content increased. Electrophoresis analysis indicated that myosin heavy chain of UV2 was most attenuated. Storage test showed that UV2 maintained the highest gel strength during chilled‐storage and its total viable count was below 5 log10CFU•g−1 after 18 days. Therefore, UV irradiation might be applied to improve surimi gel properties and extend shelf life.

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