Abstract:Endogenous enzymes significantly influence food safety and quality.The technology for the inhibition or inactivation of endogenous enzymes in foods is currently a research focus.In order to investigate the effects of purified recombinant buckwheat trypsin inhibitor（rBTI）at different levels（0.02 ‰-0.12 ‰）on gel properties of Lateolabrax japonicus surimi，water loss rate，whiteness and texture properties were measured.To further explore the mechanism of gel formation and stabilization after adding rBTI，the content of trichloroacetic acid soluble peptides and the composition in the surimi were assayed.The results showed that the addition of rBTI had no significant effect on the whiteness of surimi （P＞0.05）but the water-holding capacity reduced significantly （P＜0.05）.Penetration force and the strength of surimi increased as added levels of rBTI increased（P＜0.05）.Gel adhesion decreased initially and then increased with the increased rBTI，and it reached the lowest value with the rBTI content of 0.04‰.These were associated with lower levels of protein degradation，as evidenced by the decreased in trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptide content （P＜0.05）.In addition，rBTI was effective in proteolysis prevention as shown by more retained myosin heavy chain （MHC）and actin.Therefore，rBTI at an appropriate level could be effective to improve gel properties of surimi.This study will form a foundation for potential application of protease inhibitors in food industry and provide scientific basis for developing new additives to improve gel properties of various minced meat products.