Rapid Heating Effects on Gelation of Muscle Proteins

The hypothesis was tested that total thermal input (combined time and temperature), rather than merely heating rate, is the determining factor in heat‐induced gel formation by muscle proteins. For comminuted pastes of pollock surimi and turkey breast, rapid heating plus a brief holding time at the endpoint temperature produced similar textural properties to gels, which were heated by a slower cook schedule and cooled immediately. These results suggest that the equivalent point method, a tool used to compare and communicate equivalent heat treatments for effecting bacterial reduction and/or enzyme inactivation, can be used to identify other heat processes having similar effects on gelation.