The effect of slurry ice on the quality of Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) during chilling storage was investigated and compared to flake ice. Slurry ice-treated samples showed significantly higher springiness and chewiness variables than the blank and flake ice-treated samples (P < 0.05). The growth of microorganisms in tuna muscle treated with slurry ice was also down significantly (P < 0.05), and the total aerobic counts didn't reach higher scores than 5.0 log CFU/g during the whole chilling storage. Additionally, the myofibrillar protein, Ca(2+)-ATPase activity, and total sulfydryl (SH) content in muscle treated with slurry ice were all significantly higher than the blank and flake-iced samples (P < 0.05). This was probably due to the faster cooling, subzero final-temperature, and larger heat exchange derived from slurry ice. Standard error of mean and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results also confirmed that slurry ice treatment could effectively retard the degradation of myofibrillar proteins and showed a positive effect on the stability of tissue structures.
Keywords: Ca2+‐ATPase; SDS‐PAGE; SEM; Skipjack tuna; myofibrillar protein; slurry ice; texture; total SH.
© 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®