Effect of sodium alginate on the physicochemical and sensory properties of vegan surimi

Afifah Mohd Sobri (Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Industrial Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia)
Lay-Jing Seow (Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak, 30450, Ipoh, Malaysia)
Utthapon Issara (Division of Food Science and Technology Management, Faculty of Science and Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani, 12110, Thailand)
Nur Ain Ab Rahman (DKSH Performance Materials Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Lot B-2-1, Blok B, Pusat Komersial Parklane, No: 21, Jalan SS 7/26, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia)
Nurul Huda (Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Bag No. 3, 90509, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia)
Eng Keng Seow (Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Industrial Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia)

Canrea Journal: Food Technology, Nutritions, and Culinary Journal
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2, DECEMBER 2023

Sodium alginate at different concentrations (0% - Control, 0.25% - F1, 0.50% - F2, and 0.75% - F3) were added to the vegan surimi, and the effect to the physicochemical and sensory properties of vegan surimi was assessed. The addition of 0.75% sodium alginate has significantly (p<0.05) improved the folding test score of F3 from 3.00 to 3.67. A significant (p<0.05) increase was observed in hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of F3 with the recorded value at 3.01, 2.56, and 2.43 kg, respectively. Besides, moisture content (70.82%), water holding capacity (78.36%), and lightness (quality indicator) of F3 were significantly (p<0.05) enhanced with the addition of sodium alginate. In sensory evaluation, the most preferred product was F1 (0.25% sodium alginate) in terms of texture (7.00), taste (7.17), and overall acceptability (7.17) based on the 9-point Hedonic testing. In conclusion, the results suggest the potential of sodium alginate in the improvement of physicochemical and sensory properties of vegan surimi.