Fish Protein Gel: Preparation, Characterization and Quality Control

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 August 2025 | Viewed by 3929

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China
Interests: fish processing theory and application technology; fish protein gel preparation and quality control; fish preservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Background: Fish contains nutrients including polyunsaturated fatty acids, protein, peptides and amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. In particular, it provides a large amount of proteins with all essential amino acids and high digestibility, contributing approximate 17.6% of the global population's intake of animal proteins. Thus, it is an important food supply for humans. Due to their gel-forming capabilities, fish proteins, mainly myofibrillar protein and collagen, are commonly processed into gel foods for consumption. These products with high nutritional value and resilient texture receive notable attention from consumers.

Aim and scope: this issue aims to provide a platform for communicating recent knowledge on innovative fish protein gel processing technologies and products. 

History: Modernized fish protein gel food production is aided by the improvement of surimi and gelatin processing technologies. Moreover, aging populations, salt–sugar-reduction needs, personalized food demand, and green manufacturing are propelling the innovative development of protein gel foods. Many new technologies are being tested to improve fish protein gel texture, nutritional structure, flavor, stability, etc. Thus, fish protein gel foods are facing great challenges to meet future demand. 

Cutting-edge research: technologies for fish protein gel texture modification (3D printing, high-pressure homogenization, ultra-pressure, phenolic compounds, etc.), nutritional and flavor structure adjustment (emulsion gel, nanocellulose fortification, salt-substitutes, etc.), and quality analysis (LF-NMR, NIR, etc.) are the cutting-edge topics in this area.

Papers covering innovative processing technologies, such as 3D printing, emulsion gel, ultra-pressure, salt-reduction, ohmic or microwave heating, are welcomed. Studies focusing on innovative product development (soft surimi products, functional surimi products, gelatin gel, etc.), quality evaluation, and digestibility are also welcomed.

Dr. Jinfeng Pan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • surimi products
  • 3D printing
  • emulsion
  • digestibility
  • myofibrillar protein
  • gelatin

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3816 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Cooking Methods on Gel Properties, Lipid Quality, and Flavor of Surimi Gels Fortified with Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba) Oil as High Internal Phase Emulsions
by Yinyin Lv, Xiuqin Wang, Ruoyi Hao, Xianhao Zhang, Xianbing Xu, Shengjie Li, Xiuping Dong and Jinfeng Pan
Foods 2024, 13(24), 4070; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13244070 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 998
Abstract
In this study, silver carp surimi products enriched with Antarctic krill oil high internal phase emulsions (AKO-HIPEs) were cooked using steaming (STE), microwave heating (MIC), and air-frying (AIR), respectively. The gel and flavor properties, lipid quality and stability were investigated. Compared to the [...] Read more.
In this study, silver carp surimi products enriched with Antarctic krill oil high internal phase emulsions (AKO-HIPEs) were cooked using steaming (STE), microwave heating (MIC), and air-frying (AIR), respectively. The gel and flavor properties, lipid quality and stability were investigated. Compared to the MIC and AIR groups, the STE surimi gel added with HIPEs had better texture properties, exhibiting higher water-holding capacity and a more homogeneous structure, while the air-frying treatment resulted in visually brighter surimi products. The degree of lipid oxidation during cooking was in an order of STE < MIC < AIR as determined by electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. HIPE-added surimi gels retained more nutrients and flavor when cooked by AIR compared to STE and MIC. Results imply that the texture properties and lipid stability of surimi products fortified with AKO-HIPEs were better than those of the oil group under any cooking method. In conclusion, surimi products added with AKO-HIPEs had better gel properties and retained more fatty acids and flavor than AKO-SO. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Protein Gel: Preparation, Characterization and Quality Control)
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13 pages, 2469 KiB  
Article
Effect of Heat Treatment on Gelatin Properties and the Construction of High Internal Phase Emulsions for 3D Printing
by Yixiao Wang, Ling Zhang, Geng Cao, Zhaorui Li and Ming Du
Foods 2024, 13(24), 4009; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13244009 - 11 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1107
Abstract
The effect of tilapia skin gelatin properties on the characteristics of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) and the quality of 3D printing remains unidentified. In this work, HIPEs were constructed by gelatin with various properties that were obtained by heat treatment. The results [...] Read more.
The effect of tilapia skin gelatin properties on the characteristics of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) and the quality of 3D printing remains unidentified. In this work, HIPEs were constructed by gelatin with various properties that were obtained by heat treatment. The results indicated that the gelatin undergoes degradation gradually with an increase in heating intensity. The highest values of intrinsic fluorescence intensity, surface hydrophobicity, and emulsification were obtained when the heating time was 5 h. The gel strength and hardness of gelatin hydrogels were negatively correlated with heat treatment temperature. HIPEs constructed by gelatin extracted at 70 °C demonstrated a suitable material for 3D printing. The storage modulus (G′) and viscosity of HIPEs exhibited a similar tendency as the gel strength of gelatin. The microstructure of HIPEs revealed that gelatin established a gel network around oil droplets, and the higher G′ of HIPEs corresponded to a more compact network structure. This study elucidated the correlation between the structure and properties of gelatin, offering essential insights for the formulation of HIPEs by natural gelatin, which is suitable for applications across several domains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Protein Gel: Preparation, Characterization and Quality Control)
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16 pages, 3485 KiB  
Article
Effect of Inulin and Psyllium Husk Powder on Gel Properties and In Vitro Digestion of Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Argopecten irradians Blended Surimi
by Wenhao Geng, Miaomiao Tian, Xinyue Zhang, Maodong Song, Xinru Fan, Meng Li, Yongsheng Ma, Soottawat Benjakul and Qiancheng Zhao
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3703; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223703 - 20 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1260
Abstract
Dietary fiber is crucial in enhancing the nutritional and textural properties of surimi-based products. This study investigated blended surimi produced from silver carp and bay scallops, with the addition of different amounts (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) of inulin (INU) or psyllium [...] Read more.
Dietary fiber is crucial in enhancing the nutritional and textural properties of surimi-based products. This study investigated blended surimi produced from silver carp and bay scallops, with the addition of different amounts (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) of inulin (INU) or psyllium husk powder (PHP) for their textural properties, protein conformation, and in vitro digestibility. The addition of INU negatively affected gel strength. However, incorporating 2.0% PHP into the blended gel improved gel strength and water-holding capacity by 8.01% and 0.79% compared to the control, respectively. Furthermore, PHP significantly increased the total sulfhydryl content and surface hydrophobicity of the blended gels (p < 0.05). Additionally, increases in endogenous fluorescence intensity accompanied by a blue shift were observed, indicating that the fluorophores (Trp and Tyr) were sequestered into a more non-polar environment due to conformational changes. The incorporation of PHP enhanced both the quality and digestibility of the blended surimi. This study provides a novel perspective for developing surimi-based food with improved quality, augmented digestion, and enhanced absorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fish Protein Gel: Preparation, Characterization and Quality Control)
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