Stability and gel strength of meat emulsions made with prerigor, preblended beef and reduced salt levels

• Main Author: Wiser, Cathy
• Other Authors: Anglemier, Allen F.
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Beef > Processing
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/27054

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of preblended, prerigor beef in reduced salt meat batters. The functional properties of water-holding capacity, fat binding and gel strength were evaluated. Proximate analyses (protein, moisture and fat contents) of all cooked samples were performed, in duplicate. The sternomandibularis muscle (SM) was removed from the right side of each of fifteen steers within 1 hr after death. The control samples remained on the left side of each carcass for 48 hr at 2°C before removal. The muscles removed prerigor were preblended with four different levels of salt: 1.5, 2.25, 2.5, and 3.0%. The preblends and the postrigor SM were used to formulate batters with 1.5 or 2.5% salt. During preparation, the batters were chopped until a temperature of 16.0 +/- 0.5°C was reached, and the batter pH was adjusted to 5.8 with NaOH. Aliquots of batter were weighed into centrifuge tubes and cooked in a 70 - 75°C water bath for 30 min. Water-holding capacity was determined by weighing the amount of fluid lost during cooking. After the cooked batters had cooled, gel strength was evaluated with an Instron Universal Testing Machine using the penetration method with a cylindrical punch. The mean pH of the prerigor muscles (6.70) was significantly higher (p<0.01) than that of the control muscles (5.66). The proximate analysis results indicated no significant differences between treatments for the moisture and fat contents. The mean protein content of the 2.5% salt batter control treatment was significantly lower (p<0.05) at 11.13%, than the four prerigor, preblended treatments which ranged from 11.88 to 12.21%. The 1.5% salt batter control treatment had a mean cook loss of 9.75% and was significantly higher (p<0.05) than the other treatments which ranged from 4.55 to 6.93%. A red-colored cook loss fluid was observed in the prerigor, preblended 1.5% salt final batter treatments. This loss seemed to have no significant (p<0.05) effect on the functional properties of the batters studied. Fat release was negligible amounting to only a few droplets per treatment. The four preblended treatments had significantly stronger (p<0.05) gel strengths (0.88 - 0.97 lbs) than the two postrigor control treatments (0.67, 0.69 lbs). Gel strength seemed to be more dependent on the state of rigor when salt was added than on the amount of salt added. The evidence indicates that it is possible to make an acceptable reduced salt product using prerigor, preblended beef. === Graduation date: 1990