Page 93 - 《渔业研究》2026年第2期

236 渔 业 研 究 第 48 卷

Effects of cryoprotectants on the texture of repeatedly freeze-thawed
minced-fish cakes prepared from pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

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LI Meng ，GUAN Wenxuan ，LIU Bo ，DENG Entang ，ZHAO Qiancheng 1,2,3*
(1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China;
2. Liaoning Provincial Marine Healthy Food Engineering Research Centre, Dalian 116023, China;
3. Dalian Key Laboratory of Marine Bioactive Substances Development and High Value Utilization, Dalian 116023, China;
4. Dalian Ruichi Food Co. Ltd., Dalian 116037, China)

Abstract: [Background] During the industrial processing of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) into fil-
lets, substantial volumes of by-products are generated. Although the minced fraction alone accounts for >50% of
this waste stream, it is currently destined for low-value animal feed or discarded, leading to significant resource
under-utilization and economic loss. [Objective] To enhance the value-added utilization of O. gorbuscha pro-
cessing by-products, the effects of different cryoprotectants on the quality of repeatedly freeze-thawed minced-
fish cakes prepared from O. gorbuscha scraps were investigated. [Methods] Tea polyphenols (TP), trehalose,
and sorbitol were incorporated individually or in combination into the minced O. gorbuscha to formulate fish
cakes. The comprehensive quality changes during up to seven freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles were assessed by monit-
oring water-holding capacity (WHC), texture profile analysis (TPA), color difference, microstructure, pH and
thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). [Results] The results indicated that the control group
(without cryoprotectant) exhibited significant deterioration (P<0.05) across all indices with increasing F-T
cycles: WHC, hardness, elasticity, chewiness, cohesiveness, and pH declined markedly, whereas color differ-
ence (NBS), and TBARS values rose significantly. In contrast, addition of cryoprotectants effectively retarded
quality loss. Among the treatments, the ternary combination of tea polyphenols-trehalose-sorbitol conferred the
most pronounced protective effect, significantly mitigating (P<0.05) the decreases in WHC, hardness, elasticity,
chewiness and pH, and the increases in NBS and TBARS. Microscopic observations revealed that the ternary
formulation maintained a denser and more intact gel network compared with other groups. The combined cryo-
protectant system also significantly delayed lipid and protein oxidation during repeated F-T cycles (P<0.05).
[Conclusion] Collectively, the ternary incorporation of TP, trehalose, and sorbitol markedly improved freeze-
thaw stability of the O. gorbuscha scraps and offers practical guidance for value-added processing.
Key words: pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha); minced meat; fish cake; repeated freeze-thaw (F-T)
cycles; cryoprotectant