Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and Pacific whiting (Merluccius productus) represent the first and second largest fishery biomass in the United State, and they are the base materials for salt-water frozen surimi products. While in inland, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is cultivated for processing fresh-water frozen surimi due to its large annual output and low cost, particularly in China. Aroma of frozen surimi will directly affect the aroma of surimi-based products and consumer preference. However, most published researches focused on the aroma of fish, instead of frozen surimi. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the aroma compounds in different frozen surimi to provide information for the processing of surimi products. In this study, volatiles compounds from frozen surimi made from silver carp, Alaska pollock, and Pacific whiting were extracted with dichloromethane. After solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) and concentration, aroma-active compounds were identified using aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) on both DB-wax and HP-5 columns. In fresh-water frozen surimi, more odorants were detected by GC-MS/O, and 3-octanone (herbal odor) and L-menthol (mint-like odor) only existed in silver carp surimi. Among these three frozen surimi samples, Alaska pollock surimi contained the least quantity of the aroma compounds. Some alcohols (such as 1-penten-3-ol, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, and benzyl alcohol), butanoic acid, and γ-octalactone were not detected in Alaska pollock surimi. AEDA results showed that the flavor dilution (FD) factors of most aldehydes and alcohols were higher in silver carp surimi, particularly hexanal (grassy odor), 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom-like odor), and some unsaturated aldehydes such as (E)-2-hexenal (grassy odor), (E)-2-octenal (nutty odor), (E)-2-nonenal (nutty odor), (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal (oily odor), (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber-like odor), and (E,E,E)-2,4,6-nonatrienal (fishy odor). Additionally, geosmin, contributed to a typical earthy odor, showed an FD factor in silver carp surimi at 32, which was much higher than that in salt-water surimi (FD=2). However, the FD factors of sulfur-containing compounds in Pacific whiting frozen surimi were the highest. Overall, silver carp frozen surimi showed more powerful fishy, green, and oily odor compared with salt-water frozen surimi. This study provides some basic information for further studies on surimi-based products aroma.

Comparison of aroma compounds in fresh-water and salt-water frozen surimi

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.