Abstract:To obtain a composite water retention agent to reduce the consumption of phosphates and improve the water holding capacity，snakehead fish was studied. The effects of different concentrations of sodium tripolyphosphate，sodium pyrophosphate，sodium carbonate，and citric acid on the weight gain rate，thawing loss rate，ripening loss rate，and sensory score of snakehead fish fillets were studied by single factor experiments.On this basis，various factors were optimized by the response surface method. The results indicated that sodium tripolyphosphate，sodium pyrophosphate，sodium carbonate，and citric acid had significant effects on the quality of snakehead fish fillets. The optimal conditions were as follows:sodium tripolyphosphate of 1.3%，sodium pyrophosphate of 1%，sodium carbonate of 0.7%，and citric acid of 0.5%. Under these conditions，the weight gain rate，thawing loss rate，ripening loss，and sensory score were 56.01%，3.93%，11.37%，and 7.6，respectively，with the advantages such as lower phosphate content，higher weight gain rate，and lower thawing and ripening loss rates. The research showed that the composite water retention agent could improve the water holding capacity of snakehead fish fillets and reduce the concentration of phosphates.