Effect of refrigeration and reheating on the lipid oxidation and volatile compounds in silver carp surimi gels

Abstract BACKGROUND As unsaturated and saturated aldehydes, ketones are known to be responsible for off‐odors in surimi products, and they are mainly derived from lipid oxidation. Because surimi‐based products are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, they are prone to producing off‐odors during the refrigeration and reheating processes, which are common treatments for leftovers. The present study investigated the color, lipid oxidation productions, fatty acid profiles and volatile components in surimi gels during refrigeration at 4 °C for 3 days with multiple reheating. RESULTS The results revealed that the accumulation rate of hydroperoxides was higher in the refrigeration stage, whereas the decomposition rate was higher during reheating in surimi gels. Both refrigeration and reheating treatments promoted conjugated diene values, acid values and carbonyl values. Nevertheless, reheating treatment decreased tohiobarbituric acid reactive substances and whiteness. The contents of unsaturated fatty acids, especially α‐linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, were reduced, whereas the contents of saturated fatty acids increased during refrigeration and multiple reheating. The unsaturated fatty acids were lost as a result of their oxidative deterioration. The volatile components profile showed that the accumulation of volatile components mainly occurred in the refrigeration stage. Multivariate data analysis was utilized to further clarify whether the off‐odors in surimi gels were mainly generated in refrigeration. CONCLUSION Refrigeration and reheating both contributed to lipid oxidation and the generation of volatile compounds in surimi gels, but the off‐odors were mainly generated during refrigeration. This research provides a novel understanding of the formation of food odors in processing. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.