The use of a CaCl2 [calcium chloride] solution as a coagulant in sardine [Sardinops melanostictus] fiber production

Sardine fibers were produced from round sardine and sodium alginate. Water holding capacity and appearance of fibers were improved by the use of a CaCl2 solution as a coagulant. Fibers were flexible and similar to buckwheat noodles in texture. They had a weak taste and were non-peculiar. As the amount of added sodium alginate and the concentration of CaCl2 solution increased, shear values of fibers became larger. Consequently, shear values of fibers were expressed by two-variable polynomial on the concentration of CaCl2 solution and the amount of added sodium alginate, and the polynomial satisfactorily predicted shear values observed in additional experi-ment. By cooking in boiling water, moisture content of fibers was decreased, the appearance be-came coarse, and the shear values were incfrased. By the addition of Na4P2O7, shear value, appearance and water holding capacity were improved. In fiber production, sodium alginate fibers without sardine were too tough or, on the con-trary, were formed imperfectly. These findings suggest that the properties of protein included in sardine would be also related to sardine fiber formation.