Consumers are increasingly waking up to concerns about overfishing and the health of marine environment. Fish levels are depleting in a very rapid rate that would not be sustainable for fish consumption and surimi production. In this context, making seafood products by partially substituting, fish proteins by vegetal proteins, as legume proteins, seems to be a good alternative. These vegetal alternatives can be source of bioactive components with health properties, such as dietary fibre or polyphenols. The aim of this work was to reduced fish protein content, maintaining the gel properties, in surimi-based gels by adding pea flour (PF) at different percentages (0%, 5%, 8%, 10%) with the final objective to make new and healthier meat or seafood analogue products. Protein proflle (SDS-PAGE), technological functionality (Fourier Transforrned Infrared Spectroscopy, Water Holding Capacity -WHC-, Folding Test, Puncture test, Colour, and rheological properties) and nutritional aspects (dietary fibre, polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity) were studied in the resulting mixed gels. By adding PF, the amount of surimi in the gels was reduced up to 14%. SDS- PAGE indicated high degree of polymerization in the gels due to the interaction of PF and surimi myofibrilar proteins . That fact could be related with the higher presence of β-sheets in that rnixed gels. WHC was not affected by PF addition; however, breaking force significantly increased with the PF addition while breaking deformation only increased up to the addition of 8% PF. Folding test scored the maximum value in all gels regardless the percentage of PF. The resulting gels with PF were yellowish in comparison with the control. Dietary fibre content was as expected correlated to the addition of PF and when 10% is added, surimi+PF gel could be considered, following the Regulation (EC) N° 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as ''Source of fibre". The total content of polyphenols increased with the addition of PF with also resulted in a higher antioxidant capacity of the surimi+PF gels. From transient tests it may be deduced that gel strength values increased significantly at 5 and more at 8 % PF, but the connectivity degree decreased resulting in a more packed but less ordered gel network. It could be concluded that due to the good technological and functional properties of the surimi+PF gels, they could be the base to make added value meat and or seafood analogues, thus reducing fish protein consumption.

Resumen del trabajo presentado al World Seafood Congress, celebrado en Penang (Malaysia) del 9 al 11 de septiembre de 2019.

Peer reviewed