How much fish is there in surimi products? Can fish balls, fish tofu, crab sticks, etc. replace fish?

We often say that we should eat healthy, but now we are usually busy with work, study, and TV series, so we are less and less willing to spend time on eating. Various deep-processed and easy-to-cook pre-prepared dishes have entered the kitchens and refrigerators of thousands of households. Surimi products are a very typical example. While we enjoy the delicious food, some people will ask whether this thing is healthy to eat? How much fish is in it? Can it be compared with fresh fish meat?

As we all know, protein is an important nutrient needed by our body. The protein content of fish is very high, about 16% to 20%, and the protein utilization rate of fish can be as high as 98% to 99%. Fish protein contains 8 essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the human body, and its amino acid types are very complete, the content is also very high, and the ratio between them is also very appropriate, so the protein contained in fish is complete protein.

In addition, the fat content in fish is relatively low, rich in various unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other minerals and trace elements, so it is also favored by our consumers. So what is fish paste? Fish paste is a deep-processed fish product made after a series of processes such as cleaning, meat extraction, rinsing, and dehydration. Naturally, it is also an important source of high-quality protein.

At present, the raw fish used by these fishermen on the market are mainly sea fish such as sea bass and cod. In recent years, due to the continuous reduction of our high-quality sea fish resources, the proportion of freshwater fish in the production of fish paste has also increased. The raw fish used in the production of surimi products in our country now include sea fish such as haddock and golden threadfish, as well as freshwater fish such as silver carp and grass carp.

Figure: The picture comes from Tuchong.com

Surimi products are a kind of food made from surimi, which is a kind of protein gel. They usually have a chewy and delicate taste. Surimi products are very flexible and can be made into various shapes, so they are very popular among consumers. Our common surimi products include fish balls, fish tofu, fish cakes, crab sticks, etc. So how much fish do these surimi products contain?

In our traditional surimi products, such as fish balls, the surimi content is basically less than 60%, and the rest of the dry matter is starch and other auxiliary materials. In the more common bionic surimi products on the market, such as bionic shrimp and bionic abalone, the surimi content can basically reach more than 60%. For example, the more common fish tofu on the market usually has a surimi content of more than 55%. Some brands of fish tofu have a surimi content of more than 65%. That is to say, every time we eat 20 pieces of fish tofu, it is equivalent to eating a one-pound fish.

Of course, in addition to the different tastes brought by our deep processing, the core purpose of fish product processing is to extend the storage time of fish and increase the diversity of our diet. Our development of fish paste not only solves the problems of fish meat's poor storage resistance, thorns, and inconvenience in eating, but also allows us to process fish meat without being restricted by location or season. During the processing, its fish by-products, such as fish heads, fish bones, and fish viscera, can also be used in a centralized manner, which has a very good market prospect.

As we all think, during the fishermen's processing, some nutrients will indeed be lost. For example, during the rinsing process, most water-soluble nutrients, such as sarcoplasmic protein, vitamin B, vitamin C, inorganic salts, etc., will be washed away during the rinsing process. So the protein composition of its surimi and our fish meat will be somewhat different. In general, fresh fish meat does contain more kinds of nutrients and umami substances than surimi products.

But when we don’t want to cook by ourselves and want to eat nutritious, delicious and bone-free fish products immediately, then there is nothing wrong with fish paste products.

This article is a work supported by Science Popularization China Starry Sky Project

Author: Tan Yuqing

Reviewer: Liu Yiqun (Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Produced by: China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.