Chemically Induced Covalent Crosslinks Affect Thermo‐Rheological Profiles of Fish Protein Gels

Effects of inducing covalent crosslinks in surimi gels by adding potassium bromate or 1‐ethyl‐3(3‐dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide (EDC) were investigated. Potassium bromate induces disulfide crosslinking of proteins and EDC induces crosslinking between amino and carboxyl groups. Thermorheological properties compared to a control (no additive) were determined by torsion, dynamic (small strain) and stress relaxation testing. Profiles of gels with increased covalent cross‐linking induced by potassium bromate or EDC showed increased rubber‐elastic behavior. At the levels used, potassium bromate effected greater change in thermo‐rheological response than EDC. These results confirmed that as covalent crosslinks increased, surimi gels become more rubber elastic in thermo‐rheological responses.