Insight into the mechanism on nano fish bone improving the quality of marinated snakehead fish slices during freeze-thaw cycles

The effects of marinating with nano fish bone (NFB) on the physicochemical characteristics and quality of snakehead fish slices during freeze-thaw cycles (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) were investigated. The highest alterations in surface hydrophobicity, carbonyl content and secondary structure of the slice myofibrillar protein, integrity of cellular structure, and slice quality (whiteness, thawing loss, cooking loss, and sensory) were found in the sample without cryoprotectant (Ck), followed by the sample with commercial cryoprotectant of polyphosphates (PPS), and the lowest in the NFB sample. Comparatively, more moisture but less free water was observed in the NFB sample during the freeze-thaw cycles. Furthermore, NFB surrounded the oil droplet to form a Pickering emulsion, resulting in the stabilization of oil in the marinade. The results indicated that NFB can serve as a potential alternative to commercial cryoprotectant in frozen fish slices, which is attributed to its antifreeze and antioxidant functionalities.