Effects of environmental pH on protein properties and flavor factors of hairtail (Trichiurus haumela) in thermal processing.

• Application of pH-shifting method for modification of thermal processed hairtail pieces. • Heated hairtail presented the best flavor when the pH was 5.5. • Texture properties including hardness and chewiness showed significant correlation with protein indicators. The flavor and texture of hairtail (Trichiurus haumela) products easily change depending on the processing conditions including the programed temperature, environmental pH, and so on. In the present study, we aimed to explore the differences in the overall texture and flavor of hairtail under heat treatment with varied environmental pH. The results indicated that the secondary structure of the myofibrillar protein in thermal processed hairtail meat presented a transformation from α-helix to β-sheet structure with the decrease of solution pH. Moreover, heat treatment in an acidic solution environment effectively improved the sensory and flavor properties of hairtail. In addition, pH-mediated changes on protein characteristics of cooked hairtail meat showed significant correlation with the texture properties, while weakly correlated with the flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]