Effect of water washing of shark (Scoliodon laticaudus) meat on the properties of proteins with special reference to gelation.

The effect of water washing of shark meat on the properties of proteins has been investigated. The contents of low-molecular-weight proteins and urea were reduced significantly with three washing cycles. The gel forming ability showed marked improvement with the number of washing cycles. The dynamic viscoelastic behavior of washed and unwashed meat revealed a structure build-up reaction that was more pronounced in the washed meat. The concentration of myosin heavy chain of washed meat increased as revealed by Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Addition of urea at biological concentration (approximately 250 mM) to the washed meat reduced the gel forming ability significantly as compared to unwashed meat. The emulsion capacity showed an increase with the number of washing cycles.