Abstract:To determine the optimum kind and addition level of starch to imporve the gel quality of hairtail surimi, the effect of five different starches (wheat starch, potato starch, cassava starch, cross-linked starch and hydropropylated starch) with different add quantity (0, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%) on the gelation proportion of hairtail surimi was studied using the gel strength, TPA(texture profile analysis) values, whiteness, water-holding ability, solubility of surimi gel as indexes. The results indicated that the type of starch and its add quantity had a significant influence on the gelation proportion of hairtail surimi. While add quantity of starch was more than 15%, the effect on the springiness and water-holding capacity was not significant. In the five kinds of starch, cassava starch had the best effect for improving the quality of hairtail surimi gel. With the addition of 15% cassava starch, the value of gel strength, hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness, whiteness, water-holding ability, solubility of surimi gel was 886.176 g·cm, 4 879.56 g, 0.67, 0.87, 2 888.86, 60.07, 5.84%, 49.47%, respectively. Therefore, adding 15% cassava starch could effectively improve the gel quality of hairtail surimi. The results can provide the theoretical basis for production of high-quality surimi products.