Abstract:
To solve the problem of taste loss of new retail prepared fish after freezing and reheating. The changes of moisture content, water holding capacity, water distribution, and microstructure in pre-fried fish were analyzed during frying, freezing and reheating processes. The results showed that with the increase of freezing-thawing cycles, a significant decrease of the moisture content (
P<0.05) and water holding capacity of pre-fried fish were observed, while the degree of fat oxidation, protein degradation, and muscle fiber destruction were increased significantly (
P<0.05), as well as the flavor changes were displayed in all the samples. After reheating, the taste of pre-fried fish at 1 freezing-thawing cycle was similar to the unfrozen group. However, lower sensory scores were gained after 2 freezing-thawing cycles. Also, in comparation with the samples without freezing, the contents of myofibrillar fragmentation index, TBARS and TCA-soluble peptide increased by 24.44%, 225.84% and 52.85%, respectively. In conclusion, the edible quality and consumer acceptance of the pre-fried fish are significantly reduced when the number of freezing-thawing cycles are more than 2 times in the process of storage and transportation.