Quality Change of Ready-to-eat Fermented Yellow Croaker during Thermal Sterilization Process

ZENG Xian-ze,LI Bian-sheng,MEI Can-hui,CHEN Zi-kai(College of Light Industry and Food Science,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510640,China)

ready-to-eat fermented yellow croaker;thermal sterilization;quality change

In order to explore the quality change of ready-to-eat fermented yellow croaker during thermal sterilization process,the results obtained for the F(the time needed to kill microorganisms by 90%) and C values and quality parameters such as color,texture and liquid loss were compared under different conditions of sterilization temperature/sterilization time,and spray-water heating and cooling rates.The results showed that the F value revealed a marked increase with the extension of sterilization time.Similarly,higher temperature could result in notably increased F and C values.In addition,fast spray-water heating and cooling rates could result in longer sterilization time at the constant temperature for reaching the same F value when compared with slow spray-water heating and cooling rates.Moreover,fast spray-water heating and cooling rates could also result in larger surface C value and C/F value although both conditions revealed a similar central C value.Therefore,high-temperature and short-term sterilization can offer better color and texture as well as low water loss for yellow croaker.Fast spray-water heating and cooling rates can result in less water loss.The optimal thermal sterilization conditions are sterilization temperature of 127 ℃,heating rate of 10.99 ℃/min and cooling rate of 12.32 ℃/min.