Quality attributes enhancement of ready-to-eat hairtail fish balls by high-pressure processing

Advancements in nonthermal physical field technologies for prefabricated aquatic food: A comprehensive review

Aquatic foods are nutritious, enjoyable, and highly favored by consumers. In recent years, young consumers have shown a preference for prefabricated food due to its convenience, nutritional value, safety, and increasing market share. However, aquatic foods are prone to microbial spoilage due to their high moisture content, protein content, and unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, traditional processing methods of aquatic foods can lead to issues such as protein denaturation, lipid peroxidation, and other food safety and nutritional health problems. Therefore, there is a growing interest in exploring new technologies that can achieve a balance between antimicrobial efficiency and food quality. This review examines the mechanisms of cold plasma, high-pressure processing, photodynamic inactivation, pulsed electric field treatment, and ultraviolet irradiation. It also summarizes the research progress in nonthermal physical field technologies and their application combined with other technologies in prefabricated aquatic food. Additionally, the review discusses the current trends and developments in the field of prefabricated aquatic foods. The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical basis for the development of new technologies and their implementation in the industrial production of prefabricated aquatic food.

Effect of modified washing process on water usage, composition and gelling properties of grass carp surimi

BACKGROUND

Washing is an essential process in surimi production, from which a large amount of wastewater is generated. Due to the increasing pressure of environmental protection, it is an urgent technical requirement for surimi manufacturers to reduce water usage while maintaining the quality of surimi. In this study, composition, structure and gelling properties of grass carp surimi prepared with a modified washing process (MWP) were investigated. Intermediate dehydration with various compression ratios were utilized between two washing cycles.

RESULTS

Water usage and wastewater discharge were reduced significantly by 33% and 38%, respectively, when MWP was applied. As the compression ratio increased, composition of fat, cathepsins, transglutaminase and heme proteins in surimi decreased gradually. Yield, protein content and the major protein pattern of surimi were not changed, but surface hydrophobicity gradually decreased. As the compression rate increased to 1:2.0, textural values and water holding capacity of the corresponding surimi gel decreased gradually, while whiteness increased and then remained unchanged. At a higher compression ratio (>1:1.5), aggregated network and excessive free water were observed in the surimi gel. Composition and gelling properties of the MWP surimi with a compression ratio of 1:1.2-1:1.5 were equal to those of the surimi prepared under conventional three-cycle washing.

CONCLUSION

Results indicated that MWP demonstrated its great potential in surimi production by dramatically reducing the usage of cold water and discharge of wastewater without scarifying surimi quality. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Advances in prepared dish processing using efficient physical fields: A review

Prepared dishes are increasingly popular convenience food that can be eaten directly from hygienic packaging by heating. Physics field (PF) is food processing method built with physical processing technology, which has the characteristics of high efficiency and environmental safety. This review focuses on summarizing the application of PFs in prepared dishes, evaluating and comparing PFs through quality changes during processing and storage of prepared dishes. Currently, improving the quality and extending the shelf life of prepared dishes through thermal and non-thermal processing are the main modes of action of PFs. Most PFs show good potential in handing prepared dishes, but may also react poorly to some prepared dishes. In addition, the difficulty of precise control of processing conditions has led to research mostly at the laboratory stage, but as physical technology continues to break through, more PFs and multi-physical field will be promoted for commercial use in the future. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of the effect of PFs on prepared dishes, and provides theoretical reference and practical basis for future processing research in the development of various enhanced PFs.

The Impact of Thyme, Rosemary and Basil Extracts on the Chemical, Sensory and Microbiological Quality of Vacuumed Packed Mackerel Balls

The effect of natural extracts (0.05%) and vacuum packaging on the sensory, chemical, and microbiological quality of mackerel balls were evaluated at refrigerated (4 ± 2 °C) storage. Natural extracts thyme (38.13 mg GAE/g), rosemary (81.85 mg GAE/g) and basil (21.08 mg GAE/g) were evaluated. Natural extracts imparted stability to lipids (TBA, FFA, and PV), and the ability was further improved by vacuum packaging. Biochemical changes (TVB-N, pH) and microbiological quality (total viable count) were also retained. Control samples packed under vacuum were found to cross over acceptable limits on day 28. Based on sensory quality evaluation, samples treated with rosemary and thyme extracts showed superior sensory quality over control, whilebasil-treated samples were not found acceptable at day 28. Consequently, the inclusion of thyme and rosemary extracts exhibits preservative quality when combined with vacuum packaging, retaining biochemical, microbial, and sensory quality.