Effect of high pressure processing on heat-induced gelling capacity of blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) meat

There has been increasing use of High pressure processing (HPP) in the fishery industry since this technology facilitates shellfish shucking. Nevertheless, there is limited information about the effect of HPP on protein functional properties of some shellfish. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 100, 300 and 600 MPa/5 min on the gelling capacity of heat-induced (40 °C/30 min + 90 °C/20 min) blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) meat. HPP treatment resulted in crab meat gels with a lighter and reddish colour as compared to the control. HPP at 600 MPa induced the formation of high molecular aggregates from the denaturation-aggregation of myosin heavy chain. Pressurization at 100 MPa promoted the shift of α-helix structures to β-sheet and β-turn as compared with the other pressure levels. TPA values were higher in gels made at 100 MPa than at 300 or 600 MPa. Low pressure levels, then, increased the heat-induced gelling capacity of crab meat, improving the texture through modification of its protein structure. Industrial relevance: High pressure processing (HPP) technology has been successfully applied to several seafood products, both for processing and storage. However, in the case of blue crab meat it is important to study the effect of HPP on protein functional properties such as gelling capacity in order to optimize processing parameters for the preparation of high-quality restructured products. This paper reports the development of a HPP process (100, 300 and 600 MPa/5 min 40 °C/30 min + 90 °C/20 min) prior to thermal gelling for the preparation of crab meat gels. The application of 600 MPa produced considerable protein aggregation of gels, whereas with pressures below 300 MPa protein functionality can be modified to produce crab meat gels with adequate brightness, TPA values and a fresh, high-quality appearance. These results could provide a basis for further pressurization applications in the crab industry to create new seafood product analogues based on this kind of crab meat.