Acceptability comparison of kamaboko gels derived from silver carp surimi and from walleye pollack surimi between the Chinese and Japanese

Sensory evaluations were conducted on kamaboko gels prepared from silver carp (SC) surimi and from walleye pollack (WP) surimi, and were then compared. Different kamaboko gel specimens, produced with or without the extract from silver carp muscle (Esc) or walleye pollack muscle (Ewp), were tested using a panel of university students for their odor, flavor, texture, whiteness, and overall acceptability. According to the sensory evaluation results done in Kyoto, there were significant differences ( P < 0.005) between SC kamaboko gel and WP kamaboko gel for all sensory evaluation indices. When compared with WP kamaboko gel, kamaboko gel derived from SC surimi was unacceptable to the Japanese students especially because of its odor. When the same investigations were carried out in Shanghai (coastal area) and Wuhan (inland area) of China, the former showed the same pattern as that observed for Kyoto and its difference was smaller than that for Kyoto; the latter exhibited a different pattern as that for Kyoto and there were fewer differences among all of the test specimens. Marine fish meat gels and freshwater fish meat gels had the same acceptability by students from Wuhan. A slight increase in their sensory scorings of kamaboko gels occurred when Ewp was added, especially when scoring the odor of SC kamaboko gels. The results indicated that there were some differences in the acceptability of SC kamaboko gels, which were apparently influenced by the area and tradition of fish consumption.