ANALYSIS OF SURIMI GEL PROPERTIES BY COMPRESSION AND PENETRATION TESTS

Gel properties of surimi of different quality were analyzed using compression and penetration tests. Parameters used to vary the surimi quality were species, freshness, freeze-abuse and added ingredients. Compressive force at failure was more discriminative than penetration force. The result of a failure response analysis suggests that the compression test is useful in assessing the cohesive property, while the penetration test is better for assessing density and compactness. Good correlations between compression and penetration force values were seen in surimi gels prepared from the same species with and without ingredients, while poor correlations were observed in the surimi which either underwent freeze-abuse or was prepared from different species.