Abstract:
Commercial utilization of black mouth croaker (Atrobucca nibe) is in progress in Iran.
This study was carried out to assess the physicochemical and sensory evaluation of
minced fish and surimi prepared from small size of A. nibe, which is not common for
human consumption. The surimi proximate composition contains protein (14.77±0.506%),
lipid (0.94±0.081%), ash (0.58±0.007%) contents and yield rate (36.56±0.732%) were
significantly lower than the mince, while the moisture content was higher in the surimi
(79.58±0.729%) as compared to the mince (78.49±0.687%) (P< 0.05). Total volatile bases
and thiobarbituric acid values of black mouth croaker surimi were 4.76±0.594 mg N
100 g-1, and 0.40±0.018 mg malondialdehyde kg-1, which, respectively, were significantly
lower than those found for the minced fish (P< 0.05). Minced fish delivered significantly
lower water holding capacity and pH value than the surimi (P< 0.05). Higher whiteness
index was obtained in the surimi (66.23±0.029%) compared to the mince (51.68±0.020%)
(P< 0.05). Total lipids of surimi contained more polyunsaturated fatty acids (36.32±0.257
g 100 g-1 total lipids) than other fatty acids of the minced fish (P< 0.05). Fish fingers
prepared from the surimi obtained a higher mean score of all attributes (8.71±0.366) than
the minced fish (7.47±0.326) (P< 0.05). It was concluded that this white-fleshed fish
species was an appropriate raw material for surimi production. Further trials are needed
to evaluate the surimi gel characteristics.
Keywords: Black mouth croaker, Fatty acids, Fish finger, Minced fish, Surimi,
