Effect of high pressure on reduced sodium chloride surimi gels

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Following the dietary recommendations for the reduction of salt consumption, the present study considered several surimi gelation processes and the influence of high pressure (HHP) on reduced salt content gels. Suwari (S) and heated-induced definitive gels with setting (SQ) and without (Q) were prepared with three different high hydrostatic pressure treatments (0, 150 MPa and 300 MPa) and with two different salt percentages (0.3% and 3%).The protein denaturation and/or unfolding induced by HHP processing of samples with reduced NaCl content was similar to that observed when a higher level of NaCl was used. Gel microstructure became more compact and denser with increasing NaCl content and higher HHP, what resulted in more luminous (L*) gels.Mechanical and sensory properties of reduced-NaCl gels were improved by the application of 300 MPa, reaching similar values to the gel made with higher NaCl content. The gelation profiles of the surimi pastes indicated that samples made with lower NaCl content produced stronger networks that were as stable as the ones with higher NaCl content.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) for supporting the project AGL2011-24693.Peer Reviewe