| Summary: | The effect of lecithin addition on the gelling characteristics and oxidative stability of single-washed mackerel (<i>Auxis thazard</i>) surimi was investigated in this study. Surimi was chopped in the presence of 2.5% (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) NaCl with different concentrations of lecithin (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 g/100 g surimi). The rheological behavior, gel-forming ability, microstructure, and lipid oxidation of lecithin-added surimi varied significantly depending on lecithin content. When compared to the control, lecithin at 0.1, 0.5, and 1 g/100 g improved the breaking force of the gel (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The breaking force of the gel decreased significantly as lecithin concentration increased (up to 1.5 g/100 g) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Deformation, on the other hand, reacted differently to the lecithin than it did to the breaking force. At a lecithin level of 0.1 g/100 g, the surimi gel displayed improved deformation (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Nonetheless, at higher doses (0.5–1.5 g/100 g), lecithin considerably reduced surimi gel deformation (<i>p</i> < 0.05), and the gel containing lecithin at 1.5 g/100 g showed significantly decreased deformation. Surimi with 0.1 g/100 g lecithin had the lowest expressible drip (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In general, lecithin at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1 g/100 g reduced expressible drip (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but not at 1.5 g/100 g, which was equivalent to the control (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Adding lecithin to mackerel surimi improved its whiteness slightly, regardless of concentration. Lecithin impacted the microstructures of surimi gel in a concentration-dependent manner. Lecithin at a concentration of 0.1 g/100 g produced a densely packed network with small, jointed clusters and minimal holes within the gel. Joined clusters in the gel were reduced by 0.5–1.5 g/100 g lecithin, and continuous aggregates predominated. Surprisingly, at higher doses of lecithin, notably 1.5 g/100 g, porous structures with continuous voids were perceived. Surimi gels treated with various lecithin doses had lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels than the control (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Overall, lecithin at a low concentration of 0.1 g/100 g was most effective at improving the texture, increasing water-holding capacity, lightening the color, and delaying lipid oxidation of single-washed mackerel surimi.
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