Abstract: Background During the industrial processing of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) into fillets, substantial volumes of by-products are generated. Although the minced fraction alone accounts for >50 % of this waste stream, it is currently destined for low-value animal feed or discarded, leading to significant resource under-utilization and economic loss.Objective To enhance the value-added utilization of pink salmon processing by-products, the effects of different cryoprotectants on the quality of repeatedly freeze-thawed minced-fish cakes prepared from pink salmon scraps were investigated. Methods Tea polyphenols (TP), trehalose, and sorbitol were incorporated individually or in combination into the minced salmon to formulate fish cakes. The comprehensive quality changes during up to seven freeze-thaw (F–T) cycles were assessed by monitoring water-holding capacity (WHC), texture profile analysis (TPA), color difference, microstructure, pH and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs). Results Results indicated that the control group (without cryoprotectant) exhibited significant (P<0.05) deterioration across all indices as F–T cycles increased: WHC, hardness, elasticity, chewiness, cohesiveness, and pH declined markedly, whereas NBS (color difference), and TBARs values rose significantly. In contrast, addition of cryoprotectants effectively retarded quality loss. Among the treatments, the ternary combination of TP-trehalose-sorbitol conferred the most pronounced protective effect, significantly (P<0.05) mitigating the decreases in WHC, hardness, elasticity, chewiness and pH, and the increases in NBS and TBARs. Microscopic observations revealed that the ternary formulation maintained a denser and more intact gel network compared with other groups. The combined cryoprotectant system also significantly delayed lipid and protein oxidation during repeated F–T cycles (P<0.05). Conclusion Collectively, the ternary incorporation of TP, trehalose, and sorbitol markedly improved freeze–thaw stability of salmon scraps and offers practical guidance for value-added processing.