Abstract: In order to explore the effect of plasma activated water (PAW) rinsing processes on the quality of tilapia surimi, we prepared three kinds of plasma activated water (PAW30, PAW60, PAW120) according to the discharge time of the plasma generator (30, 60, 120 s). We evaluated the effect of PAW rinsing on the volatile compounds of surimi, together with the color, gel strength, and sensory attributes of surimi gel, in comparison with water rinsing. The results show that compared with the surimi (R0) rinsed twice with water and the surimi (R1) rinsed three times with water, PAW rinsing improved the L^*, W values, gel strength, and sensory properties of surimi gel significantly, while reduced the content of volatile compounds with off-fishy odor in surimi significantly. Compared with the surimi rinsed by PAW30, PAW60 and PAW120, the L^* and W values of surimi gel reached the maximum values and the sensory score was the highest when the discharge time was 30 s. The strength of surimi gel and most of aldehydes and alcohols decreased gradually with the increase of plasma discharge time. Overall, PAW30 is more suitable for rinsing tilapia surimi, which can not only reduce the content of volatile compounds with off-fishy odor, but also improve the gel properties of surimi. The results designed a new rinsing process for freshwater processing and provide technical references for improving the quality of frozen surimi and its products.