Effects of different marine surimi addition on the gelling properties of freshwater surimi gels: Protein crosslinking and endogenous enzyme interactions

Blending freshwater and marine surimi has been widely applied to improve gel product quality, while the species-dependent effects on gelation remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of Alaska pollock surimi and hairtail surimi on the gelation properties of silver carp surimi at different blending ratios (0–40%). Alaska pollock enhanced gelation, increasing gel strength, hardness and whiteness. In contrast, hairtail weakened gelation, reducing gel strength and whiteness. Water-state and structural analyses showed that hairtail increased water mobility and generated a coarse and porous network, whereas Alaska pollock promoted a denser gel network. Hairtail exhibited higher lipid content and stronger endogenous protease activities ( p < 0.05), which may have impaired protein network formation. Dynamic rheology further confirmed weaker elastic network development in hairtail-containing blends and more stable gel formation in Alaska pollock-containing blends. These findings provide a basis for the rational design of freshwater–marine blended surimi products.