Characteristics of hairtail surimi gels treated with myofibrillar protein‐stabilized Pickering emulsions

Abstract BACKGROUND Hairtail ( Trichiurus haumela ) surimi exhibits poor gelation properties and a dark gray appearance, which hinder its utilization in high‐quality surimi gel products. The effect of Pickering emulsions stabilized by myofibrillar proteins (MPE) on the gel properties of hairtail surimi has been unclear. In particular, the impact of MPE under NaCl and KCl treatments on the quality of hairtail surimi gels requires further elucidation. RESULTS Pickering emulsions stabilized by myofibrillar proteins and treated with NaCl or KCl (Na‐MPE, K‐MPE) were added to hairtail surimi in amounts of 10–70 g kg −1 . The addition of 50 g kg −1 Na‐MPE and K‐MPE improved the gel strength, textural properties, whiteness, and water‐holding capacity (WHC) of hairtail surimi. The relative content of β ‐turn and β ‐sheet in the surimi gels increased and the relative content of random coils and α ‐helix decreased with the addition of oil. The addition of Na‐MPE and K‐MPE did not affect the secondary structure of surimi gels but stimulated the gelation of hairtail surimi gels. Hairtail surimi containing K‐MPE demonstrated similar performance in terms of hardness, microstructure, and WHC compared with the addition of Na‐MPE. CONCLUSION The quality of hairtail surimi gels can be improved by the addition of Na‐MPE or K‐MPE. The K‐MPE proved to be an effective option for enhancing the properties of hairtail surimi gels at 50 g kg −1 to replace Na‐MPE. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.