Abstract
This work investigated the underlying mechanism of thermo-ultrasonic treatment to improve the nutritional properties and emulsion stability of sea bass fish head broth. The effects of ultrasonication on the processing of fish broth were compared with boiling water treatment. The nutritional properties of fish broth mainly include protein, fat, total sugar, 5'-nucleotide and free amino acid content. To achieve a similar effect of nutrient extraction, the thermo-ultrasonic treatment required a shorter time (30 min) than boiling water (120 min). The water-soluble protein, fat and total sugar contents were at their maximum at 120 min of the thermo-ultrasonic treatment. In particular, the fat content increased with the time of thermo-ultrasonic treatment from 0.58% to 2.70%. The emulsion structure of the fish soup was characterized by measuring its color and particle size, using optical microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy, and determining its storage stability. Thermo-ultrasonic treatment reduced the particle size of the fish broth emulsion and the fat globules became smaller and more homogeneous. Ultrasonication not only accelerated the nutritional and flavor content of the fish head broth, but also reduced the particle size and enhanced the stability of the emulsified system of the fish broth. The fish head tissue was more severely disrupted by the cavitation effect of an ultrasound, and nutrients migrated more and faster. This was mainly due to the cavitation and mechanical breaking force of the ultrasound on the fish head tissue and the fat globules of the fish broth. Altogether, these findings suggest that the thermo-ultrasonic treatment technique is useful for processing nutrient-rich, storage-stable and ready-to-eat fish head broth.