Oxidized inositol stabilizes rehydrated sea cucumbers against non-enzymatic deterioration

Rehydrated sea cucumber (RSC) is a popular seafood in northeast Asia with high deep-processing potential. Yet the development of value-added RSC product is limited by non-enzymatic decrosslinking of RSC collagen hydrogel system, which could potentially be solved by crosslinking enhancement. In this work, NaIO₄ oxidized inositol (NOXIN), a novel crosslinker, was synthesized and its capacity in RSC stabilization was evaluated with texture profile analysis, free amino group content, total soluble protein, water activity, water withholding capacity and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that NOXIN could stabilize RSC in a dose dependent manner by crosslinking the amino groups on collagen, thus enhances the mechanical strength and water holding capacity, retains water activity, and suppresses protein degradation of the hydrogel system, although overdosing compromises the stabilizing effect. The results of this study have not only validated the capacity of NOXIN as protein crosslinker, but also provided reference to the development of new crosslinkers.