Abstract: We studied the preservation effects of water-soluble chitosan at different concentrations on cold storage of surimi product. The sensory score, total bacterial count, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and pH were observed to evaluate the changes in quality of surimi product stored at 4 ℃. The results indicate that water-soluble chitosan effectively inhibits the bacterial growth and propagation, prevents the decline of sensory quality, as well as postpones the increase of TVB-N and TBA. 2.0% water-soluble chitosan achieves the best preservation effect, prolonging the shelf life from 9 d to 13~14 d as compared with the control.