Gelation Characteristics of Mince and Washed Mince From Small-Scale Mud Carp and Common Carp

Small-scale mud carp (SC, Cirrhina microlepis) and common carp (CC, Cyprinus carpio) are underutilized freshwater fish. The objective of this study was to elucidate the gel-forming ability of mince and washed mince from these species in relation to washing cycles and CaCl2 addition. Protein loss of up to 67% was observed after three-washing cycles of both species, rendering relatively low yield. About 85–90% of total fat was removed from SC flesh after three-washing cycles, but only two-washing cycles were sufficient for fat removal in CC mince. Mince and washed mince of both species did not exhibit severe proteolysis with low autolytic activity at 65°C. SC exhibited superior gel-forming ability to CC. Two- and three-washing cycles in conjunction with a 40°C-preincubation resulted in the highest textural properties of SC and CC, respectively. CaCl2 increased the breaking force of CC and SC mince gels up to 65 and 95% at 0.3 and 0.5% CaCl2, respectively, as compared to without CaCl2. However, it showed neg...