Abstract:To investigate the effects of hairtail surimi addition on the quality and structural changes of noodles during storage at 4 ℃, noodles supplemented with 9% hairtail surimi were prepared as the experimental group, while conventional wheat noodles were used as the control. The changes in quality characteristics, total bacterial count, and structural properties during storage were analyzed. The results showed that surimi addition improved certain processing properties of noodles and enhanced the cooking stability and structural integrity of hairtail surimi noodles. During storage, the quality characteristics and total bacterial counts of hairtail surimi noodles exhibited dynamic changes. FTIR analysis indicated that surimi addition regulated the changes in short-range ordered structures of starch. XRD results demonstrated that both samples maintained an A-type crystalline structure, and the relative crystallinity of hairtail surimi noodles showed relatively minor changes, suggesting that interactions between surimi proteins and starch could regulate starch molecular rearrangement. SEM observations revealed that hairtail surimi noodles retained a relatively intact protein–starch composite network structure after storage. In conclusion, the addition of hairtail surimi improved the processing quality of noodles and maintained microstructural stability by regulating starch structural changes, thereby enhancing the structural stability of hairtail surimi noodles during storage. However, surimi addition also increased the risk of microbial proliferation.