Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKJFPPJournal of Food Processing and Preservation0145-8892Copyright 2005 by Food & Nutrition Press, Inc.

, Trumbull, Connecticut.2917583Original Article PINK PERCH SURIMI AT FROZEN TEMPERATURER.K. SINGH and A.K. BALANGE

CHARACTERISTICS OF PINK PERCH (NEMIPTERUS JAPONICUS)

SURIMI AT FROZEN TEMPERATURE
RAVENDRA KUMAR SINGH1 and AMJAD KHANSAHEB BALANGE
Taraporevala Marine Biological Research Station
New Administrative building, 3rd Floor
Bandra (E), Mumbai 400 051
India
Accepted for Publication February 23, 2005

ABSTRACT
An investigation lasting 36 weeks was carried out on the frozen storage
(-20C) behavior of surimi prepared from the fish pink perch (Nemipterus
japonicus). Total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), trimethylamine (TMA), peroxide value (PV) and total plate count (TPC) values of surimi increased
gradually from 3.5 0.1 to 5.60 0.17 mg%, 0 to 2.8 0.2 mg%, 0 to
0.8 0.3 meq/kg and 5.25 104 to 9.58 104 cfu/g, respectively, during frozen storage but were within the acceptable limit. Nonprotein nitrogen (NPN),
free alpha-amino nitrogen and surimi whiteness increased from 13.63 0.09
to 22.35 0.2 mg%, 0 to 8.55 0.02 mg% and 61.83 to 63.48 degrees,
respectively, with the passage of time. Moisture, crude protein, total nitrogen
(TN), pH and gel strength of surimi decreased from 78.50 0.14 to
76.55 0.02%, 17.72 0.18 to 14.57 0.01%, 2.84 0.02 to 2.14 0.02%,
7.20 0.1 to 6.05 0.09, and 237 to 97.43 g cm, respectively, during frozen
storage. The surimi was acceptable at the end of the 36 week storage period.

INTRODUCTION
Pink perch (Nemipterus japonicus) constitutes about 4.32% of the marine
catch in India (Anon 2000). Pink perch was considered a trash fish and hardly
consumed until 1990. However, after the introduction of surimi technology in
India in 1993, the pink perch became one of the important fish species in the
manufacture of surimi because of its abundance, low cost and white meat.
Surimi, in brief, is minced fish meat that is leached by washing with
water, mixed with sugar and other additives, and frozen. After gutting, deb1

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76

R.K. SINGH and A.K. BALANGE

oning and washing, the fish meat is refined and dehydrated using a screw
press. The resulting minced fish tissue exhibits a doughy texture resulting in
an excellent raw material for many surimi-based foods. A cryoprotectant blend
containing sugar, sorbitol and phosphates is added to the minced fish tissue,
and the mixture is wrapped in polythene and frozen into blocks. Surimi is an
important ingredient for the production of selected food items in many countries, because surimi results in improved yields, easy incorporation of stabilizers, flexibility in food product preparation and suitability for blending
(Abraham et al. 1992).
Substantial research is published on the quality changes of surimi prepared from selected fishes. Ofstad et al. (1990) studied the characteristics of
the frozen storage of surimi containing microbial transglutaminase made from
walleye, pollock, white croaker, big eye, lizard fish, large-head hair-tail,
hachibiki, and sardines. Changes of chemical parameters in surimi made from
cod during frozen storage were investigated by Martinez et al. (1987). Similarly, the changes in white hake (Urophycis tenuis) surimi during frozen
storage were studied by Bligh and Spencer (1988). Abraham et al. (1992)
reported the bacterial profile of fresh and spoiled surimi prepared from
Johnius dussumieri after refrigerated storage. The changes in the gel properties and in the quality of lizard fish surimi during iced storage was investigated
by Tueksuban (2000).
The objective of the present investigation was to study the biochemical,
microbiological and organoleptic quality changes of pink perch (N. japonicus)
surimi during 36 weeks frozen storage at -20C.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted for 36 weeks. Portions of surimi manufactured
at Tim Tim Far East Export Trading Co. Pvt. Ltd. (Patalganga, District Raigad,
India) weighing 1 kg each were packed in polyethylene bags following incorporation of cryoprotectants such as 5% sugar and 0.2% sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). The packaged surimi were stored at -20C. Bacterial,
biochemical and sensory analyses were conducted at regular intervals of
1 month. The moisture, total nitrogen (TN) and nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) of
the surimi were determined as per AOAC (1995). The total volatile base
nitrogen (TVBN) was determined by the Conway microdiffusion method
(Conway 1947), and the free alpha-amino nitrogen was determined by the
Pope and Stevens (1939) method. The total plate count (TPC) was analyzed
by standard pour plate method using a tryptone glucose agar medium and by
incubation at room temperature (30 2C). A 2 : 1 (water : surimi) homogenate
was used for measuring the pH of the surimi using a digital pH meter. The

PINK PERCH SURIMI AT FROZEN TEMPERATURE

77

surimi was also analyzed before the experiment was started and just after
freezing.
The organoleptic characteristics of cooked surimi were assessed by a 10member trained sensory panel and scored using a 10-point hedonic scale, 10
(10) being very good; 4 (4) being acceptable and 1 (1) being unacceptable.
The gel strength and the whiteness of the surimi were estimated by the Japanese
standard test procedure (Lee 1984). An electronic rheometer (Sakuma Corp.,
Tokyo, Japan) was used for the determination of gel strength. In the preparation
of gels, 1 kg of surimi was mixed in a silent cutter for 10 min with 3% salt.
An ice bag was wrapped around the silent cutter during the mixing to maintain
the temperature of the surimi below 10C. After thorough mixing, the air spaces
in the surimi were removed by palpitation on the platform, and the surimi was
placed in the hand-operated stuffer for making Kamaboko tubes. The Kamaboko tubes were heated in a water bath at 90C for 40 min and chilled
immediately in ice for 10 min. After chilling, the Kamaboko tubes were
incubated at 20C for 24 h. The heat-induced gels were cut into 3-cm cylindrical
Kamaboko tubes. The breaking force (g) and the breaking distance of the
Kamaboko tubes were determined with a 5 mm-diameter spherical head
plunger pressed into one end of each tube by a rheometer (Rheotex, SD400,
Sakuma Corp, Tokyo, Japan). The breaking force (g) and the breaking distance
(mm) are expressed as grams centimeters. Determinations of the whiteness
of the gelled surimi were carried out with a portable colorimeter (TR 1000,
Sakuma Corp, Tokyo, Japan) and expressed in degrees.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The quality changes in the surimi of pink perch during frozen storage at
-20C are presented in Tables 15. The TPC of the surimi of pink perch
decreased immediately after freezing from 3.34 106 to 5.25 104 and did
not change throughout the 36-week storage period. Also, the presence of
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Vibrio cholera and Salmonella was not
detected in the fresh or frozen surimi.
The moisture, crude protein, fat and ash content of the surimi was 78.25,
16.58, 0.25 and 0.50%, respectively. The organoleptic scores for the pink
perch surimi decreased from 10 to 6 towards the end of the study (Table 4).
The NPN, TVBN, trimethylamine (TMA), peroxide value (PV) and free
alpha-amino nitrogen values of surimi increased gradually from 13.63 0.09
to 22.35 0.2 mg%, 3.5 0.1 to 5.60 0.17 mg%, 0 to 2.8 0.2 mg%, 0 to
2.8 0.2 meq/kg and 0 to 8.55 0.02 mg%, respectively, during frozen storage (Table 2). The increased activities of proteolytic enzymes and bacteria are
responsible for the sharp increase of NPN and of free alpha-amino nitrogen

78

R.K. SINGH and A.K. BALANGE

TABLE 1.
MOISTURE AND CRUDE PROTEIN OF PINK PERCH SURIMI DURING FROZEN STORAGE
Storage period (weeks)

Moisture (%)

Crude protein (%)

Raw surimi
0 (Immediately after freezing)
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36

78.50 0.14
78.25 0.12
78.22 0.12
78.16 0.09
78.03 0.06
78.00 0.07
77.90 0.51
77.89 0.35
77.14 0.31
76.80 0.17
76.55 0.02

17.72 0.18
16.58 0.33
16.24 0.13
15.94 0.31
15.76 0.15
15.67 0.09
15.27 0.15
15.24 0.13
15.22 0.06
15.05 0.028
14.57 0.01

Standard error of mean.

and to some extent, are due to the action of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO)
oxyductase on surimi (George and Gopakumar 1987; Abraham et al. 1992).
Similar patterns were observed in the biochemical changes of pink perch
surimi stored at refrigerated temperatures by Singh and Balange (2003). Singh
et al. (2004) reported similar observations in the biochemical changes of
bigeye snapper surimi during frozen storage. Tueksuban (2000) observed that
autolytic degradation products, total volatile nitrogen (TVN), TMA and free
alpha-amino acid in whole fish and headed/gutted fish increased as the storage
period progressed. Martinez et al. (1987) concluded that both TVN and TMA
are indicators of gel strength as long as the decrease in quality is due to the
aging of raw materials. The decrease in pH of the surimi from 7.20 0.1 to
6.05 0.09 resulted from the protein breakdown in the fish body and from the
release of phosphoric and lactic acids (Govindan 1985). Hegde et al. (1992)
and Chandrasekhar et al. (1988) reported decreases in the pH of croaker
(Johnius spp.) surimi during refrigerated storage.
In this research, the gel strength of pink perch surimi decreased from
237.00 to 97.43 g-cm during 36 weeks of frozen storage. The gradual reduction in the gel strength is attributed to the acidic nature of glucano-delta
lactone (Hegde et al. 1992). Tueksuban (2000) observed that the breaking
force and the deformation of surimi gels prepared from both whole and
headed/gutted fish decreased with increases in storage time. The gel-forming
ability of surimi of various fish species gradually decreased during frozen
storage (Atsumi et al. 1995), similar to the present findings. The whiteness of
pink perch surimi, however, increased during frozen storage (Table 3). The
crude protein content of pink perch surimi decreased from 17.72 0.18 to
14.57 0.01% during frozen storage. The decrease in the crude protein

13.63 0.09
14.35 0.20
15.17 0.09
15.30 0.1
16.11 0.06
18.63 0.01
19.01 0.02
19.31 0.06
20.01 0.005
21.0 0.35
22.35 0.2

2.84 0.02
2.65 0.02
2.59 0.01
2.55 0.02
2.52 0.01
2.50 0.03
2.44 0.02
2.44 0.01
2.43 0.01
2.40 0.01
2.14 0.02

Raw surimi
0 (Immediately after freezing)
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36

Standard error of mean.

Nonprotein
nitrogen (mg%)

Total
nitrogen (%)

Storage period (weeks)

Nil
Nil
5.6 0.05
6.13 0.01
6.72 0.01
6.72 0.005
6.89 0.02
7.32 0.01
7.38 0.02
8.36 0.01
8.55 0.02

Free alpha-amino
nitrogen (mg%)
3.5 0.1
4.1 0.05
4.2 0.05
4.2 0.05
4.2 0.05
4.9 0.51
4.9 0.20
4.9 0.24
5.13 0.01
5.60 0.17
5.60 0.17

TVBN
(mg%)
Nil
Nil
0.9 0.23
1.4 0.11
1.5 0.11
2.1 0.05
2.1 0.05
2.1 0.09
2.1 0.05
2.1 0.05
2.8 0.2

TMA
(mg%)

TABLE 2.
BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF PINK PERCH SURIMI DURING FROZEN STORAGE

Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
0.6 0.2
0.8 0.3

PV
(meq/kg)

7.20 0.1
7.20 0.05
7.20 0.1
7.20 0.2
7.19 0.2
7.0 0.1
7.0 0.05
6.94 0.11
6.60 0.21
6.35 0.05
6.05 0.09

pH

PINK PERCH SURIMI AT FROZEN TEMPERATURE

79

1.19
1.17
1.13
1.12
1.10
1.10
1.08
1.00
0.99
0.85
0.63
Price ($/kg)
2.00
1.80
1.60
1.40
1.20
0.90

199.06
196.58
197.35
191.96
184.55
184.55
185.19
175.00
158.59
142.35
154.65
Gel strength range (g cm)
Above 900
700900
500700
200500
100200
<100

Raw surimi
0 (Immediately after freezing)
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36

Grades
SSSA
SSA
SA
AA
A
NG

Breaking
distance (cm)

Breaking force (g)

Storage period (weeks)

237
230
223
215
203
203
200
175
157
121
97.43

Gel strength
(g cm)
AA
AA
AA
AA
AA
AA
AA
A
A
A
NG

Grade

1.40
1.40
1.40
1.40
1.60
1.40
1.40
1.20
1.20
1.20
0.90

Price in ($/kg)

TABLE 3.
GEL STRENGTH AND WHITENESS OF SURIMI OF PINK PERCH DURING FROZEN STORAGE

61.83
61.63
62.20
61.73
62.21
62.53
62.70
62.71
62.76
62.95
63.48

Whiteness
in degree

80
R.K. SINGH and A.K. BALANGE

PINK PERCH SURIMI AT FROZEN TEMPERATURE

81

TABLE 4.
ORGANOLEPTIC SCORES OF PINK PERCH SURIMI DURING FROZEN STORAGE
Attributes

Organoleptic score

Storage period in weeks

Appearance
Odour
Overall score

0
10
10
10

4
10
10
10

8
10.0
9
9.75

12
9.5
9.5
9.5

16
9
8
8.5

20
9
8
8.5

24
8
8
8

28
7.5
7.5
7.5

32
7
6
7.5

36
6
6
6

TABLE 5.
BACTERIAL CHANGES IN PINK PERCH SURIMI DURING FROZEN STORAGE
Storage period (weeks)

TPC
(cfu/g)

E. coli
(cfu/g)

Staphylococcus
(cfu/g)

V.
cholera
(cfu/g)

Salmonella
(cfu/g)

Raw surimi
0 (Immediately after freezing)
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36

3.34 106
5.25 104
4.50 104
4.85 104
5.20 104
6.10 104
7.30 104
8.15 104
9.0 104
9.18 104
9.58 104

Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil

Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil

Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil

Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil

TPC, total plate count; colony forming units/gram (cfu/g).

content is attributed to the leaching of the soluble components, especially

water-soluble protein and urea, from the surimi (Ashok Kumar et al. 2000).
The moisture content of pink perch surimi decreased gradually from
78.50 0.14 to 76.55 0.02% with storage time because of syneresis and
dehydration (Garg et al. 1982).
The biochemical, bacteriological and organoleptic studies of the surimi
of pink perch (N. japonicus) during frozen storage lead to the conclusions that
the surimi is of acceptable quality after a period of 36 weeks of storage at
-20C.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are thankful to Associate Dean, Faculty of Fisheries, Dr
Balasaheb Sawant Konkan, Agricultural University, for scrutiny of the manu-

82

R.K. SINGH and A.K. BALANGE

script and to the Chief Managing Director, Tim Tim Far East Export Trading
Co., Patalganga, Dist-Raigad, India for facilities. Thanks are also due to Mrs
Pratibha Haridas for her valuable suggestions and co-operation during the
course of the investigation.

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