Abstract
Blending freshwater and marine surimi has been widely applied to improve gel product quality, while the species-dependent effects on gelation remain unclear. This study evaluated the effects of Alaska pollock surimi and hairtail surimi on the gelation properties of silver carp surimi at different blending ratios (0-40%). Alaska pollock surimi enhanced gelation, increasing gel strength, hardness and whiteness. In contrast, hairtail surimi weakened gelation, reducing gel strength and whiteness. Water-state and structural analyses showed that hairtail surimi increased water mobility and generated a coarse and porous network, whereas Alaska pollock surimi promoted a denser gel network. Hairtail surimi exhibited higher lipid content and stronger endogenous protease activities (p < 0.05), which may have impaired protein network formation. Dynamic rheology further confirmed weaker elastic network development in hairtail-containing blends and more stable gel formation in Alaska pollock surimi-containing blends. These findings provide a basis for the rational design of freshwater-marine blended surimi products.