Microbial transglutaminase inhibits the deterioration of high‐temperature‐treated sea cucumber

Abstract

In this paper, the anti-deterioration effect of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on rehydrated sea cucumber was studied, and the effects of salt, sugar, and oil on the MTGase-treated sea cucumbers were also investigated. For all groups, the textural strength decreased with the storage time, but compared with the control group, the MTGase-treated group exhibited a significantly stronger texture profile (p < .05), higher thermal denaturation temperature of sea cucumber, lower protein degradation level (characterized by free ammonia nitrogen content and hydroxyproline content), reduced water migration rate and a more compact microstructure under scanning electron microscope. Salt compacted sea cucumber through water removal; sugar protected α-chain from disintegration but destabilized the collagen hydrogel system of sea cucumber body wall. Oil was inhibitive to water migration at the early stage of storage but was promotive at the late stage. These results have suggested MTGase is potentially applicable in processing shelf-stable seasoned instant sea cucumber products.Novelty impact statement: Instant sea cucumbers are susceptive to non-enzymatic deterioration during storage, which is a major reason limiting its product development. This study has found that MTGase could enhance the stability of sea cucumbers and the impact of food additives on the MTGase-treated sea cucumbers was also studied. These results suggested that MTGase is potentially applicable in producing seasoned instant sea cucumber products with better shelf-stability.

Effect of heat‐treatment times on the microstructure and water absorption properties of sea cucumber

“…With prolonged heat treatment, the porosity increased significantly ( P < 0.05) and reached a maximum of 63.37% ± 0.72% at 10 h heat treatment. Although the size of a single pore reached a maximum following 8 h of heat treatment, the number of pores was the largest and the porosity was highest when the heat‐treatment time was 10 h. The network structure was denser, and the porosity decreased when the heat‐treatment time was 12 h. The chemical bonds of the body wall were broken during heat treatment, and the collagen fibres and structure were destroyed (Liu et al ., 2021).…”

Thermal treatments and their influence on physicochemical properties of sea cucumbers: a comprehensive review

“…Moreover, deterioration of high‐pressure treated sea cucumbers was indicated more seriously because the drastic destruction of the body wall and collagen fibres was more severe than in traditional heating methods (Chen et al ., 2016). To address this issue, microbial transglutaminase (Liu et al ., 2021), celery and chlorogenic acid (Zhu et al ., 2022), lactic acid and tea polyphenols (Liu et al ., 2020a) have been used to delay softening and preserve the morphology of samples, thereby extending the quality retention period. In addition, the lipid oxidation characteristics of dried sea cucumbers during storage have been reported using an intelligent surgical knife coupled with a rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (iKnife‐REIMS) assessment method.…”

“…However, low‐temperature treatment can trigger endoenzyme activities, resulting in knotting of collagen fibres into spirals (Bi et al ., 2016). More severe collagen deterioration occurs during storage due to its degradation, oxidation and non‐enzymatic softening (Liu et al ., 2021, 2020a).…”

“…Shrinking of the proteins forces molecules to interact tightly, form a stable network structure and adjust the water‐holding capacity (WHC) and water activity (Aw); low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‐NMR) analysis is also affected (Peng et al ., 2015; Purcell et al ., 2018). A short relaxation time indicates a tight water‐substrate bond, whereas a long relaxation time suggests a weak bond (Liu et al ., 2021). After treatment with high pressure and temperature, sea cucumbers may develop a gel structure that is more prone to damage.…”

Inhibitory effect of pre‐gelatinized dialdehyde starch on heat‐induced deterioration of sea cucumber

“…Our early attempts using a Ca 2+ /phosphate 4 system and oxidized oligosaccharides 3 both (to some degree) suppressed non‐enzymatic deterioration, but were respectively limited by insufficient stabilization and a safety defect, which negates their potential as commercial food crosslinking agents. Recently, we reported that transglutaminase 5 could stabilize sea cucumbers, but later experiments found the stabilization was only effective for small sea cucumbers.…”