Simultaneous effect of high intensity ultrasound power, time, and salt contents on gelling properties of silver carp surimi.

• The contribution to puncture properties was salt contents > HIU time > HIU power. • HIU and low salt synergistically enhanced puncture properties of surimi gels. • HIU promoted the protein interactions in salt-reduced surimi gels. Recently, the demand for salt-reduced products is rising. The objective of this study was to investigate the simultaneous effect of high intensity ultrasound (HIU) power (120–240 W), time (0–30 min), and salt (0–3.0 %) on the gelling properties of surimi gels through quadratic rotation orthogonal design. Results showed that the contribution to puncture properties was: salt > HIU time > HIU power. Moreover, low salt and HIU had a synergistic effect on the puncture properties of surimi gels by the formation of more non-disulfide covalent bonds. Furthermore, HIU induced formation of denser microstructures which decreased the mobility of free water of salt-reduced surimi gels. As a result, the water holding capacity significantly increased (P < 0.05). Likewise, the cooking loss of salt-reduced surimi gels (1 %) subjected to HIU decreased by 44.85 %, as compared to the control. In conclusion, HIU might be useful for the production of salt-reduced surimi gels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]