TEXTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SQUID (LOLIGO-PEALEI L) - INSTRUMENTAL AND PANEL EVALUATIONS

Instrumental tests and profile panel evaluations were used to characterize the textural attributes of squid mantles cooked in water to 50, 60, 70, or 80°C, or cooked for 1, 4, 8, 16, or 32 min after reaching 100°C. A comparison of results from each specific cook treatment was used to interpret textural changes caused by heat and duration of heating at 100°C. Shear type tests, a single blade, and a punch and die, demonstrated that the amount of force and energy required to cut cooked mantles was dependent upon the orientation of the shearing apparatus relative to the direction of muscle fibers and on the side of the mantle initially cut. These anisotropic and nonhomogeneous aspects of the cooked mantle are due to thermal hardening of muscle fibers and to the distribution and heat gelatinization of connective tissues. A unique isometric tension test demonstrated that hydrothermal shrinkage of connective tissues also influenced squid texture. Panel evaluations indicated that two groupings of textural character notes best described texture of cooked squid. Character notes assessing mantle strength correlated with the results of rheological tests. Character notes denoting mantle moisture were not explained by instrumental tests, but were an essential supplement describing the mouthfeel of cooked squid. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved