Development of Pangasius Mince Sausage Incorporated with Chitosan-Konjac Glucomannan Hydrogel

Introduction: Fish sausages prepared from pangasius mince are gaining popularity due to their nutritional value, palatability, and ease of processing. However, the high fat content of pangasius makes it prone to oxidation and quality deterioration. Improving technological and functional properties remains a key challenge. In this context, incorporation of chitosan-konjac glucomannan hydrogel offers potential benefits by enhancing water retention, texture, and overall product stability, thereby improving the quality of pangasius mince sausages.

Methods: Pangasius mince sausages were prepared with five treatments: control (without hydrogel), T1 (1% hydrogel), T2 (2% hydrogel), T3 (3% hydrogel), and T4 (4% hydrogel). The prepared sausages were analyzed for pH, water holding capacity (WHC), diameter reduction upon cooking, gel strength, texture profile (hardness), instrumental colour (L* value), and sensory attributes using standard procedures.

Results: The incorporation of hydrogel significantly influenced the quality characteristics of the sausages. The pH showed a slight decrease from 7.13 to 7.08 with initial hydrogel addition, followed by a marginal increase at higher concentrations. The WHC increased significantly (p < 0.05) from 91.79% to 93.96% with increasing hydrogel levels. A significant reduction in diameter shrinkage was observed, with the lowest value recorded in T4 (6.66%). Gel strength improved notably, with the highest value observed in T3 (355.88 g·cm), followed by T4 (345.61 g·cm). The lightness (L*) value increased from 61.59 to 64.16, indicating improved appearance. The hardness of sausages increased significantly from 7967 g to 8828 g with increasing hydrogel concentration. Sensory evaluation revealed that T3 sausages achieved the highest overall acceptability among all treatments.

Conclusion: Based on the results, incorporation of 3% chitosan-konjac glucomannan hydrogel significantly (p < 0.05) improved the technological, textural, and sensory properties of pangasius mince sausages. Therefore, this formulation can be recommended for the development of value-added fish sausages with enhanced quality characteristics.