Textural and physicochemical properties of surimi gels prepared with potassium and calcium chloride as substitutes for sodium chloride

The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of sodium replacement on the textural properties and water-holding capacity (WHC) of heat-set freshwater surimi gels. Potassium chloride and calcium chloride were chosen as salt substitutes. The surimi gels presented better water-holding capacity with potassium chloride than the treatments containing calcium chloride. Gel strength and rheological properties indicated that monovalent metal ions could improve surimi gel properties. The contents of chemical interactions, especially disulfide bonds, nondisulfide covalent bonds, and hydrophobic interactions of surimi gels, varied with the addition of salt type and concentration. Furthermore, microstructure observed from scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that surimi gels prepared with monovalent salt presented more compact and denser networks, while more aggregated particles existed in gels with calcium chloride.