Influence of Different Species of Fish on Physicochemical Properties of Surimi

Surimi is a concentrate of myofibrillar proteins obtained from solid residues from fish processing, which is minced, washed, drained and final by the use of stabilizing agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of using different fish species: whitemouth croaker (Argyrosomus regius), snapper (Lutjanus purpureus), sandperch (Pseudopercis Numida) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The surimi preparation method included immersion in an alkaline solution, followed by two immersions in saline solutions, water separation by centrifugation, mass crushing with the addition of cryoprotectants, and storage in ultra-freezer. Physicochemical properties were determined in terms of pH by potentiometric analysis, moisture by desiccation at 105 oC for 24 h, total fat content by the Soxhlet method, crude protein by Kjeldhal method, color by colorimeter, fatty acid profile using gas chromatography, and the texture profile by the texture analyzer. The obtained results ranged from: pH 7.29±0.19 to 7.55±0.43; moisture (%) 77.19±0.55 to 81.27±0.85; the protein (%) content ranged from 15.04±0.32 to 17.10±0.12 and the lipid content ranged from 0.08±0.06 to 1.13±0.10. In addition, sandperch surimi showed the highest whiteness value and intermediate texture, and the color presented adequate whiteness values, with high brightness in sandperch surimi and low brightness for snapper surimi. Therefore, the production of surimi showed to be a rich source of protein and present acceptable texture characteristics.