Extending the freshness of tilapia surimi with pulsed electric field modified pea protein isolate-EGCG complex

The development of natural polyphenol-protein complexes for preserving surimi holds great promise. The effects of pea protein isolate (PPI) - (−)-Epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) non-covalent and covalent complexes modified by pulsed electric field (PEF) on the preservation of tilapia surimi were evaluated. Results showed that the PEF-treated PPI-EGCG non-covalent complex extended the shelf life of surimi by more than 6 days. This complex reduced the microbial activity and delayed the lipid and protein oxidation of surimi during chilled storage. Total viable count (TVC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) of surimi with PEF-treated PPI-EGCG non-covalent complex on day 15 were 31.65 %, 68.67 %, and 54.46 % lower than untreated surimi, respectively. Moreover, the rate of colour deterioration and off-odour development were also delayed. The major products of lipid oxidation in surimi were reduced by 37.91 % for hexanal, 43.14 % for pentanal, 73.24 % for 1-octen-3-ol, and 39.32 % for 1-penten-3-ol on day 15. Structural analyses and computer simulations revealed that PEF was able to unfold the structure of PPI, thereby exposing more binding sites for EGCG. PEF-treated PPI-EGCG non-covalent complex allowed the slow dissociation of EGCG from PPI and maintained the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of EGCG in a long storage time. Therefore, PEF-treated PPI-EGCG non-covalent complex was considered as a potential preservative in fish and fish products.