Chitosan was applied to kamaboko gels made from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), and the correlative influences on gelling quality and lipid oxidation were evaluated by color, texture, expressible water, TBA (2-thiobarbituric acid) and peroxide values. Whiteness, hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, adhesiveness, TBA value increased, while expressible water and peroxide value decreased when 1% chitosan was added in gels. Addition with 1% chitosan was considered as a promising approach in the processing of grass carp gels to improve thermal gelling properties and delay lipid oxidation. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.