With addition of 60 mmol/kg ZnCl2,breaking force of kamaboko and modori gels increased by 24.7 and 29.7%,respectively,and deformation increased by 15.2 and 14.4%,respectively,compared
with the control. Divalent metal ions might cause changes in protein conformation and interact with negatively charged residues on the polypeptide chains of proteins,there by inducing
cross-linking via salt bridges(Dingetal.,2011).