Abstract: Objective:Effects of water retaining agents and cold-drying on the moisture state of surimi sols were explored.Methods:The surimi sols were made of surimi and different water retaining agents.After a different period cold-drying, the moisture content, water activity and moisture status changes of the sols were measured.Then the surimi sols were treated with high temperature and afterwards their gel properties were evaluated by a five-point grading system.Results:With cold-drying time increasing, the moisture content of the surimi sols showed a downward trend.The decreasing rate of the surimi sols with different water retaining agents was lower than that of the blank.The water activity also showed a downward trend.Water retaining agents significantly improved the water activity of the surimi sols.The relaxation time T₂₁ and T₂₂ became shorter and shorter.The hydration water and immobilized water content of the surimi sols showed an upward trend, while the free water content showed a downward trend.Moreover, the gel properties of the surimi sols after high-temperature treatment showed an upward trend.Conclusion:Decreasing the moisture content effectively improved the gel properties of the surimi sols with high-temperature treatment while changing the water activity and moisture state by adding water retaining agents further improved the thermal stability of the surimi sols.