Assessment of the impact of quinoa protein modification on silver carp surimi gel quality and its utilization in 3D printing.

This study aims to investigate the effects of different modified quinoa proteins (MQP) on the gel quality of silver carp surimi, as well as to explore their feasibility for three-dimensional (3D) printing. Five different methods were employed to modify quinoa protein, water bath (WB), microwave (MW), ultrasonic (US), microwave followed by ultrasonic (M-U), and ultrasonic followed by microwave (U-M), to prepare compound surimi gels (MQPs). The results showed that the addition of quinoa protein improved the gel quality of surimi, while the MQP had an even better effect on enhancing the gel quality. Among them, QP modified by US exhibited a smoother surface, with an expressible water content of 9.78%, gel strength of 22.26 N·mm, and hardness of 27.59 N. The addition of all MQP reduced the cooking loss of surimi, promoted the formation of bound water, and enhanced the G' and G″ values of MQPs. The characterization of MQP based on molecular driving force revealed that the addition of MQP enhanced the hydrophobic interactions within the surimi gel. This improvement is attributed to the structural changes in quinoa protein induced by the modification process, where the exposure of a large number of hydrophobic groups to water facilitated the formation of a more uniform network structure among the surimi proteins. Additionally, feasibility research on 3D printing of compound products was conducted, revealing that all MQPs exhibited good support and surface smoothness, making them suitable for applications in the field of food 3D printing. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study investigated the effects of quinoa protein addition on the physical properties and mechanism of silver carp surimi under different modification methods, as well as the feasibility of 3D printing. The results demonstrated that incorporating modified quinoa protein improved the quality of the surimi gel. This research expands the range of surimi products and provides a theoretical foundation for the development and production of plant protein-surimi compound products. Additionally, it contributes theoretical insights into the characteristic application of quinoa protein.