2

Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation

JAE W. PARK
Oregon State University Seafood Lab,
Astoria, Oregon

T.M. JOHN LIN

Pacific Surimi, Warrenton, Oregon

CONTENTS

2.1 Introduction ................................................................... 35

2.2 Processing Technology and Sequence .......................... 37
2.2.1 Heading, Gutting, and Deboning....................... 37
2.2.2 Mincing................................................................ 38
2.2.3 Washing and Dewatering................................... 39
2.2.4 Refining ............................................................... 40
2.2.5 Screw Press......................................................... 41

33
34 Park and Lin

2.2.6 Stabilizing Surimi with Cryoprotectants.......... 42

2.2.7 Freezing............................................................... 44
2.2.8 Metal Detection .................................................. 47
2.3 Biological (Intrinsic) Factors Affecting
Surimi Quality............................................................... 48
2.3.1 Effects of Species ................................................ 48
2.3.2 Effects of Seasonality and Sexual
Maturity .............................................................. 49
2.3.3 Effects of Freshness or Rigor ............................ 52
2.4 Processing (Extrinsic) Factors Affecting
Surimi Quality............................................................... 53
2.4.1 Harvesting........................................................... 53
2.4.2 On-Board Handling ............................................ 55
2.4.3 Water ................................................................... 58
2.4.4 Time/Temperature of Processing....................... 60
2.4.5 Solubilization of Myofibrillar Proteins
during Processing ............................................... 62
2.4.6 Washing Cycle and Wash Water Ratio ............. 66
2.4.7 Salinity and pH .................................................. 69
2.5 Processing Technologies that Enhance Efficiency
and Profitability ............................................................ 76
2.5.1 Neural Network .................................................. 76
2.5.2 Processing Automation: On-Line Sensors......... 80
2.5.3 Digital Image Analysis for Impurity
Measurement ...................................................... 81
2.5.4 Innovative Technology for Wastewater ............. 82
2.5.5 Fresh Surimi ....................................................... 84
2.6 Decanter Technology ..................................................... 86
2.7 Surimi Gel Preparation for Better Quality
Control............................................................................ 91
2.7.1 Chopping ............................................................. 91
2.7.1.1 2% and 3% Salt..................................... 92
2.7.1.2 Moisture Adjustment ............................ 92
2.7.1.3 Chopping Temperature......................... 92
2.7.1.4 Effect of Vacuum ................................... 93
2.7.2 Cooking................................................................ 93
2.7.2.1 Plastic Casing and Stainless
Steel Tube.............................................. 93
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 35

2.7.2.2 Cooking Method Resembling

Commercial Production
of Crabstick ........................................... 93
2.8 Summary........................................................................ 95
Acknowledgments................................................................... 97
References............................................................................... 98

2.1 INTRODUCTION
Surimi is stabilized myofibrillar proteins obtained from
mechanically deboned fish flesh that is washed with water
and blended with cryoprotectants. Surimi is an intermediate
product used in a variety of products ranging from the tradi-
tional “kamaboko” products of Japan to surimi seafood, oth-
erwise known as shellfish substitutes. Before 1960, surimi
was manufactured and used within a few days as a refriger-
ated raw material because freezing commonly deteriorated
muscle proteins and induced protein denaturation, which
resulted in poor functionality. However, with the discovery of
cryoprotectants, the surimi industry was able to tap into pre-
viously unexploitable resources.
Nishiya et al.,1 at the Hokkaido Fisheries Research Sta-
tion of Japan, discovered a technique that prevented freeze
denaturation of proteins in Alaska pollock (Theragra chalco-
gramma) muscle. This technique required the addition of low
molecular weight carbohydrates, such as sucrose and sorbitol,
in the dewatered myofibrillar proteins prior to freezing. The
carbohydrates worked to stabilize the actomyosin, which is
highly unstable during frozen storage.2
The discovery that the functional properties of the myo-
fibrillar proteins were protected during frozen storage when
carbohydrates were incorporated revolutionized the industry.
Prior to 1960, Alaska pollock from the North Pacific Ocean
and the Bering Sea was a largely unexploited resource. Dur-
ing the 1960s and 1970s, however, by using carbohydrates,
Alaska pollock could be utilized to meet the increased
demands of the Japanese kamaboko industry.3,4 Consequently,
production and sales in Japan, as well as other surimi-pro-
36 Park and Lin

ducing countries, increased because the industry was no

longer limited by the availability of fresh fish or the proximity
of the fishery resource.
To a large extent, the history of world surimi production
started with the Japanese fish processing industry. Early
developments, however, have expanded the industry into the
United States, Korea, and Southeast Asia. With increased
surimi production in the United States, the involvement of
Japan in world surimi production decreased. Since 1989, the
annual U.S. production of surimi has reached about 150,000
to 220,000 metric tons (t). The world surimi production over
the past 15 years, which ranged between 420,000 to 580,000
t, is also shown in Chapter 1.
The surimi industry mainly utilizes Alaska pollock for
surimi production, which covers 50 to 70% of total surimi, but
its proportion has been continuously reduced. Since 1991,
efforts to use other species have also been successful, through
technical and marketing advances in Japan. Currently, a num-
ber of different species are being utilized in commercial surimi
production. The most suitable species for surimi processing
are those with white flesh and low fat content, including Pacific
whiting (Merluccius productus) from the Pacific coast of the
United States and Canada; hoki (Macruronus navaezelandiae)
from New Zealand and Chile; Southern blue whiting
(Micromesistius australis) from Chile and Argentina; Northern
blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) from EEC waters;
threadfin bream (Nemipterus japonicus) from Thailand,
Malaysia, and India; yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena manchu-
rica) from the south of Japan; and from Peru, bereche (Larimus
pacificus), lumptail sea robin (Prionotus stephanophyrys), and
giant squid (Dosidiscus gigas). In addition, underexploited
species, which have a higher portion of red or dark muscle
and/or a higher fat content, such as pink salmon (Oncorhyn-
chus gorbuscha), atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus azonus), Jap-
anese sardine (Sardinops melanostrictus), Chilean jack
mackerel (Trachurus murphyi), Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis
ringens), and Pacific herring (Culpea harengus), can be used
for the production of low-grade surimi. Surimi resources and
their biological availability are discussed in Chapter 1.
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 37

Figure 2.1 Flow chart of surimi manufacturing. (Adapted from

Reference 5.)

This chapter reviews the current practice of surimi man-

ufacturing from light muscle fish based on a sequential pro-
cess and discusses technologies and approaches that enhance
production efficiency and profitability.

2.2 PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY AND

SEQUENCE
The surimi manufacturing process is outlined in the process-
ing flowchart5 (Figure 2.1). It starts from holding fish and
sorting by size and ends with freezing and frozen storage.
Detailed processing steps are discussed.

2.2.1 Heading, Gutting, and Deboning

Mechanical fish meat separators, developed by companies in
Japan, Germany, Korea, and the United States, are modern
sanitary machines that remove virtually all the flesh from the
frame of a properly prepared fish. According to Pigott,6 there
are several methods to prepare fish for deboning. One is to
remove head, gut, and thoroughly clean the belly walls prior
to deboning the carcass. The other is to fillet the fish and then
38 Park and Lin

debone the fillet. The former method can better retain meat
recovery but caution is needed to ensure that all viscera are
completely removed. The inclusion of liver or other intestinal
components in the mince can cause a severe shelf-life problem.
During the gutting and filleting steps, plenty of water, along
with a wheel brush, is used to separate the fillets from the
undesirable parts of the fish. Factory trawlers, where desalin-
ization is costly, commonly use refrigerated seawater up to
the point of deboning. Shoreside operations, however, use
refrigerated fresh water.
In Pacific whiting surimi manufacturing, the removal of
fillets with a high concentration of black spotting associated
with myxosporidean parasites is indispensable in preventing
the devaluation of the product. Morrissey et al.7 reported that
up to 4 or 5% of Pacific whiting can have these defects, which
are visible as black hair-like striations. Although they present
no health hazard, they are easy to see and are unacceptable
for aesthetic reasons.

2.2.2 Mincing
It is most common to use a roll-type meat separation tech-
nique for the mincing/deboning operation. The dressed fish
is pressed between a traveling rubber belt and a steel drum
with numerous orifices of 3 to 5 mm in diameter. The fish
meat is pressed through the orifices into the interior of the
drum, while separating skin, bone, hard cartilage, and other
impurities into the exterior of the drum. The medium orifice
size of 3 to 4 mm appears to be optimal for retaining quality
and yield.8,9
A mechanical deboner, with a relatively large orifice size
(>5 mm), consequently yields larger meat particles. As a
result, it makes it more difficult to remove the sacroplasmic
proteins and other impurities during the subsequent washing
process. Although using a larger orifice size could improve
recovery yield, the quality of surimi would be compromised
as it diminishes the washing efficiency. On the other hand,
mincing fish with a relatively smaller orifice size of 1 to 2 mm
would enhance washing efficiency, but a significant portion of
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 39

fine meat particles would be lost during the washing process,

thus resulting in lower recovery.
The size and texture of fish are also factors in selecting
the right mincing machine for optimal recovery and quality.
Fish of smaller size or firmer texture would benefit from a
smaller orifice diameter. In mincing smaller fish, as in surimi
processing from warmwater fish (threadfin bream, lizardfish,
and others), the use of a large orifice would generate more
bone fragments and/or broken skin in mince.
Skinned and deboned fillets give cleaner minced meat
because blood, membrane, and other contaminants have been
removed. A headed and gutted carcass, on the other hand,
results in a higher final yield of minced flesh, but the quality
is relatively low. Another method is skin-on fillet (butterfly
shape), which increases yield and keeps quality loss to a
minimum. More recently, it is not uncommon to see H&G
(headed and gutted) fish directly subjected to the deboning
machine, and resulting in higher recovery.

2.2.3 Washing and Dewatering

Washing is an essential step in removing water-soluble pro-
teins, primarily sarcroplasmic proteins, which is thought to
impede the gel-forming ability of surimi, and other impurities
that also reduce product quality. Sacroplasmic proteins exist
in the fluids within and between muscle fibers, and include
many metabolic enzymes that diminish the stability of func-
tional proteins during storage. Myofibrillar proteins, the pri-
mary components that possess the ability to form a three-
dimensional gel network, constitute approximately 70% of the
total proteins in minced fish meat. A reduction in water-
soluble proteins in turn concentrates the myofibrillar pro-
teins, thus enhancing the functional property of surimi.
A proper washing process, therefore, is vital to achieve
high-quality surimi with high recovery. An insufficient wash-
ing process could result in a substantial loss of gel quality
during frozen storage. On the other hand, over-washing could
cause a substantial loss of fine particles and excessive mois-
ture content. Maintaining water temperature near or below
40 Park and Lin

5∞C is also crucial for cold-water species (Alaska pollock) and

temperate-water species (Pacific whiting) that contain a sig-
nificant amount of texture-softening proteolytic enzymes.
The number of washing cycles and the volume of water
vary with fish species, freshness of fish, structure of the wash-
ing unit, and the desired quality of the surimi.10 In the early
1990s, it was common to have water/mince ratios of 5:1 to
10:1 with three to four washing cycles. Lin et al.11 reported
that for a shore-side operation, 29.1 liters (L) of wastewater
were generated to produce 1 kilogram (kg) of surimi. As the
cost of using fresh water and treating wastewater continues
to increase, substantial efforts have been made by the indus-
try to reduce water usage and achieve better washing effi-
ciency. An effective washing process can now be accomplished
with two washing cycles at water/meat ratios of less than 2:1.
In comparison, at-sea processors can achieve the same wash-
ing effect with less water than shore-based processors due to
the difference in freshness of the fish. The fish used in the
shore-based processor tend to be older (20 to 100 hr). As fish
age in the storage tank (even in the ice storage), heme pig-
ments (hemoglobin and myoglobin) become easily denatured,
making the washing process less efficient.
Washing efficiency is often affected by various factors. In
addition to the water/meat ratio and age of fish, there is the
shape of the washing tank (round vs. square), the speed of the
agitator, the shape of the agitator (vertical vs. horizontal), and
water temperature. Square-shaped tanks seem to work better
than round-shaped tanks because the former can generate a
counter-current washing effect. When the agitating paddle is
placed horizontally rather than vertically, the washing efficiency
is higher. When the agitator is operated too fast, it might also
result in a temperature rise as well as difficulty in dewatering
by the screw press. The optimum speed (rpm) for agitation must
be determined based on specific operations (i.e., 20 to 40 rpm).

2.2.4 Refining
Before the final dewatering under a screw press, impurities
(such as skin, fine bones, scales, and connective tissues) are
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 41

removed by the refiner. According to Kim and Park,12 the

approximate composition of refiner discharge was 81.4% mois-
ture, 1.9% lipid, 15.4% protein, and 1.0% ash. They also found
that the majority of protein was stroma proteins derived from
connective tissue. This clearly indicates that the refining pro-
cess is used to separate connective tissues from washed mince.
Running the refiner at a slower speed with a smaller screen
size will result in cleaner surimi with less recovery. On the
other hand, running the refiner at a faster speed with a larger
screen size will enhance recovery but with a risk of higher
impurities. Screen sizes of 1.5 to 1.7 mm are commonly used
in commercial applications. Normally, 15 to 20% of the meat
is rejected from the primary refiner and goes to the secondary
refiner for secondary surimi production. The secondary
surimi, as compared to the primary surimi, has higher impu-
rities, lower whiteness, and lower gel strength.
Conventionally, all manufacturers used a Fukoku refiner
until the recent introduction of the Brown refiner (Covina,
California). According to the U.S. industry experts, the Brown
refiner is designed as a more user-friendly structure in clean-
ing and adjusting the paddle height. However, the selection
should be made after careful evaluation based on individual
operation.

2.2.5 Screw Press

The moisture content of meat increases from 82 to 85% to 90
to 92% after repeated washing. It is essential, therefore, to
remove the excess water prior to blending with cryopro-
tectants and freezing. The desirable moisture content of the
meat, prior to blending, ranges between 80 and 82%. The
length and speed of the screw, the volume reduction ratio, and
the perforation of the screens determine the effectiveness of
water removal. For example, a screw press with a larger
volume reduction ratio and longer screw can achieve the same
dewatering effect at higher speed compared to the screw press
with a small volume reduction operated at slower speed.
Screens with 0.5 to 1.5-mm perforations are commonly
used in industry. In addition, screens with smaller perfora-
42 Park and Lin

tions are usually placed at the end section to preserve recov-

ery. It is not uncommon to use a 0.1 to 0.3% salt mixture of
NaCl and CaCl2 to facilitate the removal of water from the
screw press. The use of salt often results in increased gel
values when testing is done immediately. Added salt posi-
tively contributes to the unfolding of protein structure, result-
ing in better gel strength when testing is done within a few
days after manufacturing. However, this added salt enhances
protein denaturation during frozen storage and, consequently,
shortens the frozen shelf life of surimi. Therefore, mechanical
dewatering without salt is best to maintain the frozen stabil-
ity of surimi.

2.2.6 Stabilizing Surimi with Cryoprotectants

The addition of cryoprotectants is important to ensure max-
imum functionality of frozen surimi because freezing induces
protein denaturation and aggregation. Sucrose and sorbitol,
alone or mixed at approximately 9% w/w to dewatered fish
meat, serve as the primary cryoprotectants in the manufac-
ture of surimi. However, 6% sucrose is typically used in surimi
manufactured from warm-water species perhaps due to
higher thermal stability. Further study must be conducted to
compare frozen stability of surimi made from cold- and warm-
water species using 6% sucrose. In addition, a mixture (1:1)
of sodium tripolyphosphate and tetrasodium pyrophosphate
at 0.2 to 0.3% is commonly used as both a chelating agent,
which makes metal ions in surimi inactive, and as a pH
adjusting agent.
Cryoprotectants were originally incorporated into the
dewatered meat using a kneader. Currently, silent cutters
are often used because they uniformly distribute cryopro-
tectants faster and the temperature increases less during
chopping. Commercial practices for mixing cryoprotectants
(100 kg per batch) using a kneader and a silent cutter are 6
min and 2.5 min, respectively. The temperature of the mix
must not exceed 10∞C because at temperatures greater than
10∞C, protein functionality could be damaged, particularly
for cold-water species.
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 43

Since 1991, with the commercial surimi processing of

Pacific whiting, enzyme inhibitors, such as beef plasma pro-
tein, egg whites, or potato extracts, have been used in con-
junction with cryoprotectants, gel enhancers, and color
enhancers. Enzyme inhibitors are commonly formulated with
sucrose, sorbitol, sodium tripolyphosphate, tetrasodium
pyrophosphate, calcium carriers (calcium lactate, calcium
sulfate, calcium citrate, or calcium caseinate), sodium bicar-
bonate, mono- or diglyceride, and partially hydrogenated
conola oil.13 The formulation of these ingredients varies,
depending on the company. Therefore, there are slight dif-
ferences from one company to another. The addition of
enzyme inhibitors or calcium compounds, however, before
freezing surimi is not necessary, especially because added
calcium compounds can actually enhance protein denatur-
ation during frozen storage. Instead, these calcium com-
pounds can be added when the surimi paste is prepared to
make slow-cooked gels.
Due to the recent outbreaks of BSE (bovine serum
encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease) in the EU, Japan, Can-
ada, and the United States, the use of beef plasma as an
enzyme inhibitor has been prohibited. However, Park and
co-workers14 demonstrated that fast heating (i.e., conven-
tional way of crabstick manufacturing or ohmic heating) is
a suitable alternative for surimi paste containing Pacific
whiting surimi or other surimi with proteolytic enzyme prob-
lems. Consequently, a majority of Pacific whiting surimi is
now processed with only cryoprotectants (sucrose, sorbitol,
and phosphate).
Other efforts have been made to introduce new cryopro-
tectants. Roquette Corporation (Keokuk, IA) introduced a
short-chain glucose polymer (LD and SD) as an effective
cryoprotectant (Figure 2.2).15 They performed well during 8-
mo frozen storage. In addition, Cargill Corporation (Min-
netonka, MN) introduced trehalose, which is a disaccharide
that is 45% the sweetness of sucrose. As shown in Figure
2.3,16 trehalose effectively replaced sorbitol and/or sucrose
(see Figure 2.3B, F, G, A, D, and H) during 12-mo frozen
storage. Trehalose treatments without phosphate (see Figure
44 Park and Lin

18
16 Control LD SD
14
Shear Stress (KPa) 12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0 1 4 8
Frozen Storage (Month) at −18°C

Figure 2.2 Shear stress of gels as affected by two glucose poly-

mers as potential cryoprotectants during 8-month frozen storage.

2.3F and G) also showed improved frozen stability. However,

the positive role of trehalose in the absence of phosphate
must be further studied.

2.2.7 Freezing
In commercial applications, surimi is formed in a standard
10-kg block in a plastic bag (3 to 7 mil), which is then placed
on a stainless steel tray. The trays are then placed in a contact
plate freezer and held for approximately 2.5 hr or until the
core temperature reaches -25∞C. After inspecting the frozen
surimi blocks with a metal detector, two 10-kg frozen surimi
blocks are packed into a cardboard box. Drum freezing of
surimi, on the other hand, offers the prospect of rapid freez-
ing,17 which enhances surimi quality and results in frozen
surimi chips, which provide a more convenient product form.
However, drum freezing may not be preferred by at-sea pro-
cessors where storage space is limited. Further details on
surimi freezing are discussed in Chapter 8.
Productivity-driven operations typically bottleneck at the
freezing step because of the time involved. The effects of the
freezing rate on the gelation properties of surimi are often
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 45

70
0 1 3 6 12
60

50
Shear Stress (KPa)

40

30

20

10

0
CON B F I E G A D H C

CON B F I E G A D H C

Mince 90.7 90.7 90.7 91 91.7 91.7 93.7 93.7 93.7 95.7
Trehalose 0 5 5 5 8 8 2 6 6 4
Sucrose 4 4 4 4 0 0 4 0 0 0
Sorbitol 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

STP 0.3 0.3 0 0 0.3 0 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

NaHCO3 0 0 0.3 0 0 0.3 0 0 0 0

Figure 2.3 Shear stress of gels as affected by trehalose as poten-

tial cryoprotectants during 12-month frozen storage.

questioned. Reynolds et al.18 examined the effects of various

freezing methods on the biochemical and physical properties
of surimi. As shown in Figure 2.4, fresh surimi blocks con-
taining cryoprotectants were frozen (1) using a conventional
plate freezer, (2) by placing a fresh block on the bottom floor
of -18∞C freezer (slow freezing), and (3) by flake freezing in
liquid nitrogen spray after extruding 2- to 3-mm-thick surimi
(fast freezing). The time to reach -18∞C was 132, 1436, and
17 min, respectively.
By comparing the results of the conventionally frozen
block samples, surprisingly no significant differences (p <
0.05) resulted in the rheological properties between samples
up to 9 mo. However, there were striking visual differences
46 Park and Lin

20
15
10
Temperature (°C) 5 Slow Freezing
0
−5
−10
−15 Conventional Freezing
−20
−25 Fast Freezing
−30
−35
0 120 240 360 480 600 720 840 960 1080 1200 1320 1440
Time (Min.)

Figure 2.4 Freezing rate of three different freezing methods for

surimi.

between the two block types. The conventionally frozen sam-

ples had a smooth white appearance with no visible ice
crystals. The slow-frozen blocks, on the other hand, were
more translucent (glossy), exhibiting a darker (grayish)
appearance and showed visible ice crystals. In addition,
when the block was tempered, it had a crystalline look. It
also tempered faster than the conventionally frozen block.
From their appearance, it seemed that the slow-frozen sam-
ples would have resulted in lower gel strengths but this was
not the case up to 9-mo storage. 18 However, after 18 mo, a
significantly lower texture value was obtained for slow-
frozen surimi compared to the other samples (Figure 2.5).
Even at 18 mo the shear strain value of freeze-dried surimi
stored at -18∞C did not change compared to 0 mo. 18 The
effect of various freezing rates on gel texture did not appear
to be significant up to 9-mo storage. However, continuous
long-term frozen storage (>18 mo) definitely affected gel
texture.
Freeze-dried surimi kept at -18∞C showed no changes up
to 9 mo, but significantly reduced shear stress after 18 mo
(Figure 2.5). Shear strain, denoting the cohesiveness of gels,
did not show any changes at 18 mo.18
Surimi: Manufacturing and Evaluation 47

45
0 1 3 6 9 18 mo
40

35
Shear Stress (kPa)

30

25

20

15

10

0
Freezing Conventional Slow Fast Freeze-drying

Storage −18°C −18°C −18°C 22°C 2°C −18°C

Figure 2.5 Shear stress of gels as affected by various freezing

rates and storage conditions during 18-mo frozen storage. (From
Reference 18 with permission.)

2.2.8 Metal Detection

Metal detection is a critical control point for the surimi
HACCP program. The FDA’s Health Hazard Evaluation Board
has supported regulatory action against products with metal
fragments of 7 to 25 mm in length.19 Corrective actions shall
be taken if metal inclusion occurs. Processors must make sure
that the unsafe product does not reach the consumer and must
take corrective actions to address the cause of the deviation.
The most common types of metallic contamination include
ferrous, copper, aluminum, lead, and various types of stainless
steel. Of these, ferrous metals are the easiest to detect. In
surimi manufacturing equipment, stainless steel alloys are
most commonly used and are the most difficult to detect, espe-
cially the nonmagnetic grades such as 316 and 304L. Other
factors also affect the sensitivity of metal detection, including
48 Park and Lin

the shape of the metal, orientation of the metal, aperture

dimension, position of the metal in the aperture, environmen-
tal conditions, condition of the product (frozen vs. chilled),
operation frequency, and throughput speed.20
As for the limit of calibration, there is a different setting
between shore-side operation and on-board operation. Due
to the continuous motion, on-board calibration is very diffi-
cult. In most U.S. operations, the calibration metal for shore-
side operations is 2 to 3 mm for ferrous or non-ferrous and
3 to 4 mm for stainless steel, while on-board operations use
3 to 4.5 mm for ferrous or non-ferrous and 4.5 to 5 mm for
stainless steel. This limit is far below the FDA’s action limit
of 7 mm.

2.3 BIOLOGICAL (INTRINSIC) FACTORS

AFFECTING SURIMI QUALITY
2.3.1 Effects of Species
In addition to Alaska pollock, there are a number of species
that are utilized as raw material for commercial surimi pro-
cessing. Depending on the species used, however, the func-
tional and compositional properties of the surimi vary. The
functional properties of surimi depend on composition, but
cannot generally be predicted from compositional analysis. It
is, therefore, important for processors to understand the rela-
tionships between the physico-chemical functions of fish and
the functional and compositional properties of surimi.
With the development of Pacific whiting surimi, the
importance of understanding the intrinsic enzymes in the fish
has been highlighted. An et al.21 identified the enzymes in
Pacific whiting as cathepsins B, H, and L. They behave dif-
ferently with different environmental conditions, such as pH,
temperature, and ionic strength. Cathepsin B and H are easily
washed off during surimi processing, while cathepsin L
remains in the muscle tissue. Cathepsin L has an optimum
temperature of 55∞C and causes textural deterioration when
the surimi paste is slowly heated. Therefore, enzyme inhibi-
tors are required unless the surimi is cooked rapidly using