Gelation of low salt soluble proteins from scallop adductor muscle in relation to its freshness

• Published in: Fisheries science Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 688 - 693
• Main Authors: NIKI, Tomomi, KATO, Yuko, NOZAWA, Hisanori, SEKI, Nobuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Science Pty 2002
• Subjects: actin; adductor muscle; adenosine triphosphate; extract; freshness; gelation; rigor; scallop; storage
• ISSN: 0919-9268; 1444-2906
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1444-2906.2002.00478.x

The low salt extract from scallop striated adductor muscle contained extra proteins in addition to sarcoplasmic proteins and was turned into a gel upon standing or immediately by the addition of Ca2+. The amount of extra protein, which was composed of a large amount of actin and a small amount of myosin, decreased with a decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in the muscle during storage at 5°C. Actin was easily extracted from scallop myofibrils in low salt solution with ATP at 1 mM or above. Furthermore, ATP was required to induce the gelation of the low salt extract. A visual observation of the gelation of low salt extract is therefore a simple and easy method to inspect prerigor state of scallop adductor muscle.