Effect of water and sodium carbonate swelling on the texture properties and water distribution of dried Abalone rugosa muscle

Abstract

The study investigated the optimal swelling method for dried Abalone rugosa by assessing the impact of water and alkali swelling methods on various parameters including swelling rate, centrifugal loss, cooking loss, pH, texture characteristics, color, and water distribution of abalone. The findings revealed that water swelled abalone exhibited higher water holding capacity and lower pH compared to alkali swelled abalone. Moreover, the texture characteristics of abalone were significantly altered by the swelling process; specifically, water swelled abalone showed remarkable improvements in tenderness and elasticity as opposed to alkali swelled counterparts which displayed significantly lower (p < 0.05) hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness values. Additionally, water swelling resulted in reduced water fluidity and shortened initial relaxation times of abalone samples, leading to a higher content of immobile water while decreasing the content of free water. Based on these outcomes, it can be concluded that employing the water swelling method enhances both quality and moisture retention capacity of swollen Abalone when compared to using alkaline swelling.

Keywords

• swelling rate
• centrifugal loss
• tenderness
• cooking loss
• immobile water