The Integrated Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), washing cycles and water to mince ratios on the color and surimi quality of the Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) mince

One of the problems associated with surimi, which is made from fresh water fish, is its low whiteness value compared to the marine fish species, mainly due to the redness of its muscles. In this study, hydrogen peroxide at concentrations of 1, 2 and 3% along with other variables such as water to mince ratios of 1:2, 1:3 during 1, 2 and 3 washing cycles was applied in order to improve the color quality of surimi obtained from Silver carp mince. According to the color test and the amount of utilized water for washing, in the one and two washing cycles, except for treatment 4 (1% H₂O₂ concentration, mince: water ratio of 1: 2, 1 washing) and treatments 10 (1% H₂O₂, mince: water ratio of 1: 2, twice washing) which resulted lower whiteness, the other treatments can be considered as an effective treatment to improve the color of surimi. According to the results, treatments 4 and treatment 10 with a numerical value of whiteness index 68.20 and 68.37, respectively, were significantly different compared to other treatments within their groups (P<0.05). In terms of 3 washing cycles process, no significant difference was observed among the numerical values of the white index of the treatments (P>0.05) as it was recorded from 62.56 to 65.25. Finally, it was found that increasing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide along with the washing cycles could significantly improve the color of waste water obtained from different washing cycles as well as the whiteness of the resulting surimi.