Comminuted Meat Products Research Articles

Understanding the textural enhancement of low-salt myofibrillar protein gels filled with pea protein pre-emulsions through interfacial behavior: Effects of structural modification and oil phase polarity

This study investigated the effects of pea protein pre-emulsions containing triglyceride- or diglyceride-oil on the emulsifying and gelling properties of low-salt myofibrillar protein (MP). Pea protein isolates treated with pH12-shifting (PPIpH) or ultrasonication (PPIU) demonstrated superior initial interfacial adsorption and higher final interfacial pressure than native pea protein. Within MP/PPI blends, an increased ratio of MP led to a decrease in interfacial pressure, while simultaneously enhancing film elasticity at both polar and non-polar interfaces. Polar diglyceride promoted protein adsorption and fostered interfacial interactions between modified pea proteins and MP, enhancing the cross-linking of transglutaminase (TG) in the composite emulsion gels. Combining diglyceride-type PPIU and PPIpH emulsions with TG increased gel strength to 0.58 N and 0.63 N, respectively, from an initial 0.33 N, yielding a denser protein network with uniformly dispersed oil droplets. Therefore, the utilization of diglyceride and modified PPI can serve as structural enhancers in comminuted meat products.

The shelf life of cooked sausages with reduced salt content

The aim of this study was to compare the microbiological quality of cooked sausages produced with a traditional salt content (2.1%) and reformulated batches with a salt content reduced to 1.7%. The reformulation was tested on two types of comminuted meat products – Špekáčky sausage with a diameter of up to 46 mm or Bologna-type sausages in diameter of 85 mm (Gothaj sausage) or 75 mm (Junior sausage). The total viable count (TVC) increased only slightly during the four-week storage (4 ± 1 °C) of all batches of Špekáčky sausage. Comparing batches 1.7 and 2.1, there is an evident difference in the number of CFU/g, with samples of Špekáčky 1.7 showing numbers of bacteria higher by approximately 1 logarithmic order throughout practically the entire storage period (P = 0.001). The population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) remained well beneath a value of 5.0 log CFU/g even at the end of the experiment. For Bologna-type sausages, the TVC was either beneath the limit of detection or at its boundary in all samples. LAB were not detected during storage of Bologna-type sausages. The results confirmed that the proportion of salt in cooked sausages can be reduced to 1.7% without negatively affecting the shelf life or safety of the final products.

Sodium Caseinate Improves Emulsion Stability of Meat Model System Formulated with Pre-neutralized Red Palm Olein-canola Oil Emulsion Gel

Replacing animal fat with vegetable fat in comminuted meat products often faces technological property challenges, such as high weight loss after cooking and a texture that is not dense and compact due to the predominant composition of unsaturated fatty acids. The use of emulsifiers from natural ingredients such as sodium caseinate can be a solution to improve the stability of the emulsion. In this research, sodium caseinate was added to the meat emulsion system at several levels: 0%, 0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45%, and 0.60% (w/w) of dough weight. The pH value, emulsion stability of the raw batter, cooking loss, texture profile and color of the final product were tested to prove the capabilities of sodium caseinate. The addition of 0.3% sodium caseinate improved emulsion stability, prevented excessive shrinkage and improved texture, without changing the color of the final product. In conclusion, the addition of sodium caseinate at 0.30% (w/w) is recommended in the manufacturing of comminuted meat products formulated with red palm-canola oil emulsion gel as animal fat replacer.

Impacts of Industrial Modification on the Structure and Gel Features of Soy Protein Isolate and its Composite Gel with Myofibrillar Protein.

Native soy protein isolate (N-SPI) has a low denaturation point and low solubility, limiting its industrial application. The influence of different industrial modification methods (heat (H), alkaline (A), glycosylation (G), and oxidation (O)) on the structure of SPI, the properties of the gel, and the gel properties of soy protein isolate (SPI) in myofibril protein (MP) was evaluated. The study found that four industrial modifications did not influence the subunit composition of SPI. However, the four industrial modifications altered SPI's secondary structure and disulfide bond conformation content. A-SPI exhibits the highest surface hydrophobicity and I850/830 ratio but the lowest thermal stability. G-SPI exhibits the highest disulfide bond content and the best gel properties. Compared with MP gel, the addition of H-SPI, A-SPI, G-SPI, and O-SPI components significantly improved the properties of the gel. Additionally, MP-ASPI gel exhibits the best properties and microstructure. Overall, the four industrial modification effects may impact SPI's structure and gel properties in different ways. A-SPI could be a potential functionality-enhanced soy protein ingredient in comminuted meat products. The present study results will provide a theoretical basis for the industrialized production of SPI.

Concentration-dependent effect of eugenol on porcine myofibrillar protein gel formation

The effects of different concentrations of eugenol (EG = 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mg/g protein) on the structural properties and gelling behavior of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) were investigated. The interaction of EG and MPs decreased free thiol and amine content, and reduced tryptophan fluorescence intensity and thermal stability, but enhanced surface hydrophobicity and aggregation of MPs. Compared with the control (EG free), the MPs' gels treated with 5 and 10 mg/g of EG had a higher storage modulus, compressive strength, and less cooking loss. A high microscopic density was observed in these EG-treated gels. However, EG at 100 mg/g was detrimental to the gelling properties of the MPs. The results indicate that an EG concentration of 20 mg/g is a turning point, i.e., below 20 mg/g, EG promoted MPs gelation, but above 20 mg/g, it impeded gelation by interfering with protein network formation. The EG modification of MPs could provide a novel ingredient strategy to improve the texture of comminuted meat products.

Optimization of Pre-Neutralized Red Palm Olein-canola Oil Emulsion Gel as Animal Fat Replacer for Comminuted Meat Product Using Response Surface Methodology

Red palm olein, which is rich in β carotene, has the potential as an animal fat replacer for the formulation of healthy processed meat products. However, it is mainly composed of saturated fatty acid, which should be reduced by combining it with unsaturated fatty acid-rich vegetable oil. Canola oil was mixed with red palm olein in order to get the benefits from both. The formulation of an emulsion gel made up of red palm olein and canola oil at 30/70 (w/w) was optimized using a response surface methodology. Soy protein isolate (SPI), mono and diglycerides of fatty acids (emulsifier E471, EMS), and inulin (INL) were selected as stabilizer and emulsifier in aqueous phase. Based on formula optimization and validation of gel emulsion ability in the comminuted meat model system, it was concluded that the addition levels of SPI, EMS, and INL required to form gel emulsions with optimal ability to produce comminuted meat products were 5.33%, 0.53% and 3.98% (w/w), respectively.

Sensory Texture and Mastication Physics of Multi-Phase Meat Products

Food products often consist of several phases. Comminuted meat products, for example, are multiphase systems consisting of structured meat particles and unstructured batter-like substance. To develop and understand the processing of these products, it is important to understand the sensory and mechanical perception principles. To this end, two-phase food prototypes consisting of mixtures of ground beef and beef batter were prepared and subjected to sensory, texture, and oral processing analysis. The oral processing analysis focused on the biomechanical data of the chewing process, namely the kinematics of jaw movement and electromyographic activity. The ground meat served as the anisotropic phase and the meat dough as the isotropic phase. A significant increase in muscle activity, duration per bite, and occlusion time with increasing proportion of fibrous particles was demonstrated (p < 0.05). In contrast, a higher proportion of isotropic substance resulted in significantly higher amplitudes of jaw movement and faster jaw kinetics (p < 0.05). In mixed regimes, the system responded mainly according to the dominant phase, with sensory or mechanical response changing at a critical point. In combination with texture and sensory data, a holistic characterization of the food models could be performed.

Quality attributes of chicken nuggets extended with different legume flours

Chicken nugget is a comminuted meat product commonly prepared from spiced chicken meat and other ingredients. The tenderness of chicken meat lowers its firmness and mouth feel which may reduce acceptability of chicken nugget made from it. Thus, acceptability of chicken nugget could be harnessed when legume flour extenders are used along. Therefore, acceptability as well as quality of chicken nugget from different legume flours were evaluated. Soyabean, groundnut and cowpea flours were used as meat extenders for development of raw chicken nuggets and thereafter cooked for consumption. The quality of both raw and cooked legume flour extended chicken nuggets were assessed based on functional properties, sensory properties, proximate composition, amino acid content and shelf stability in terms of lipid peroxidation and microbial load. In their raw state, the legume flour extenders competed favourably with each other. Among all, soyabean flour extender maintained remarkable functional properties that transcend into significant (P < 0.05) yield of 86.93% of chicken nugget in comparison to the control (86.37%), groundnut (84.95%) and cowpea (84.50%). Upon cooking, all the legume flour extended chicken nuggets varied in their quality attributes. Apart from the high level of flavour and low microbial load, cowpea extended chicken nugget was of low quality based on the parameters evaluated in comparison with other legume flour extended chicken nuggets. Of interest, soyabean extended chicken nugget followed by groundnut extended chicken nugget were of good quality based on sensory properties, high crude protein and amino acid levels, low cholesterol content and lipid peroxidation value as well as low microbial load.Graphical abstract

A critical review focusing the effect of ingredients on the textural properties of plant-based meat products.

Plant-based meat alternatives have been studied for decades, but have recently gained more attraction in the food industries and research communities. Concern about animal welfare, health, environment and moral beliefs acts as a driving force for the growth of plant-based meat products. The most challenging task in the development of meat analog is to imitate the texture of conventional meat products. The fabrication of plant-based meat product requires a wise selection and formulation of ingredients to perfectly mimic the fibrous structure of meat. Top-down and bottom-up approaches are the two most commonly used structuring techniques for the preparation of plant-based meat products. Development of comminuted meat product is easy as compared with the whole-muscle type plant-based meat products. Several plant-based ingredients such as texturized and non-texturized proteins, fats, binding agents, flavoring and coloring agents accompanied with different processing techniques (extrusion, shear cell, wet spinning, electrospinning, and freeze structuring) are used in the preparation of meat analogs. This article aims to discuss the impact of ingredients on the textural properties of plant-based meat products.

Rice flour-emulgel as a bifunctional ingredient, stabiliser-cryoprotactant, for formulation of healthier frozen fish nugget

This study highlighted a new strategy for producing healthier fish nuggets using a rice flour-based emulgel prior to baking rather than conventional deep-frying, which allowed the lipid content to be precisely controlled and lipid oxidation to be delayed. The technological and structural properties of emulgels made from Jasmin brown rice flour (JBRF) and commercial rice flour (CRF) combined with xanthan gum, as well as the impact of emulgel incorporation (0–7 g/100 g) on the quality of cassava croaker (Pseudotolithus senegalensis) nuggets were thoroughly studied. JBRF-emulgel had higher viscosity and negative zeta potential value than CRF-emulgel, with comparable oil particle size. During 90-day frozen storage, JBRF-emulgel substitution lowered hardness, total expressible fluid, and lipid oxidation, while increasing elasticity of fish nuggets (p < 0.05). With increasing emulgel concentration, lipid and carbohydrate content increased slightly, but protein content decreased. Lipid content of the nugget with the maximum emulgel level (7 g/100 g) was 1.83-time lower than the regular fried nugget. The higher the inclusion level of JBRF-emulgel, the lower the microbial loads and the better the organoleptic properties of the fish nugget. Therefore, rice flour emulgel can be applied for preparation of healthier baked fish nuggets and other comminuted meat products instead of frying.

Impact of replacing pork backfat with rapeseed oleosomes – Natural pre-emulsified oil – On technological properties of meat model systems

The application of natural oil droplets called oleosomes (OSs) as a potential fat replacer in comminuted meat products was investigated by evaluating the influence of rapeseed OS incorporation at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% pork fat substitution levels on the technological properties of meat model systems. The moisture content, pH, L* and b* of meat model systems increased while the fat content and a* decreased with the increasing levels of fat replacement. Treatments prepared with OSs showed improvements in emulsion and oxidative stability of meat batters. Texture profile analysis revealed the production of softer, less gummy and less chewy meat systems, whereas micrographs showed smaller-sized fat globules within compact protein matrices as OS levels were increased. Sensory evaluation results exhibited that treatments with partial replacement (≤ 50%) of pork fat by OSs were generally acceptable. The results demonstrate the possibility of maintaining or improving certain technological properties of meat systems with the use of OSs as fat replacer.

Myofibrillar protein composite gels: effect of esterified potato starch, lard and peanut oil on the gel properties.

Heat-induced composite gels were prepared with 20 g kg-1 myofibrillar protein (MP) sol, 20 g kg-1 modified starch and 100 g kg-1 lipid pre-emulsified by MP in 0.6mol L-1 NaCl, at pH6.2. The effects of esterified potato starch (EPS) and emulsified lipid (lard or peanut oil) on the rheology, texture properties and nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of MP gel were evaluated. The addition of starch and lipid significantly improved the gel strength and water holding capacity (WHC) of the MP gel. Analysis of the relaxation time compared with the WHC tests showed that the variation range of the transverse T22 relaxation time of a gel was positively proportional to changes in WHC of the composite gel, and the lower the T22 relaxation time, the better the WHC of composite gel. Moreover, MP gel with starch and emulsified lard added at the same time has the lowest T2 relaxation time, and also the best WHC of the gel. Environmental scanning electron microscopy showed that emulsified oil droplets embedded the gaps in the protein network, and the gelatinized starch contributed to restrict the oil droplet size, resulting in thicker MP gel. Emulsified lipid and modified starch have an important influence on the rheology and microstructure of MP gels, indicating the subtle interaction between starch, lipid and protein. The results suggest the potential feasibility of modified starch and vegetable oil to improve the textural properties in comminuted meat products. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Incorporation of soluble dietary fiber in comminuted meat products: Special emphasis on changes in textural properties

Comminuted meat products represent a diverse class of meat products that are popular for their characteristic texture and flavor. Comminuted meat products are incorporated with dietary fibers for various functional and nutritional purposes. These fibers are mostly the carbohydrate polymers of different types. The dietary fibers have been observed to affect the texture of meat products irrespective of the reason for their incorporation. These fibers have been shown to enhance the functional properties and health benefits of meat products. The effect of different fibers on the textural and other quality attributes has not been reported uniformly by the researchers making it hard to compare these studies. In this review, we have given an overview of the textural properties of comminuted meat products and summarized the existing researches reported on the textural changes of meat products due to soluble dietary fiber incorporation.

Processing Characteristics of Freeze-Dried Pork Powder for Meat Emulsion Gel.

The processing characteristics of freeze-dried pork powder as raw meat for comminuted meat products were compared with those of freeze-thawed pork. The tertiary structural properties, oxidation, and solubility of proteins in the freeze-dried pork powder were investigated. In addition, the properties of the emulsion gels manufactured with freeze-dried pork powder (GFD) and freeze-thawed pork (GFT) at 1.5% and 2.0% NaCl were evaluated. The surface hydrophobicity and intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence intensity of myofibrillar proteins between the freeze-dried pork powder and freeze-thawed pork were similar. However, freeze-dried pork powder had higher carbonyl compounds and lower solubility of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins than freeze-thawed pork (p<0.05). GFD had higher cooking loss than GFT in 2.0% NaCl, and lower hardness and a* value of GFD were observed regardless of NaCl level (p<0.05). Moreover, GFD had higher malondialdehyde content than GFT at the two NaCl concentrations (p<0.05). Therefore, our study demonstrated that freeze-dried pork powder has lower functional properties than freeze-thawed pork as raw meat for comminuted meat products.

Enhancing gelling properties of high internal phase emulsion-filled chicken gels: Effect of droplet fractions and salts

Effects of high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) stabilized by egg yolk-modified starch complex on the gelling properties of chicken gels with or without sodium chloride (NaCl)/sodium tripolyphosphate (TP) were studied. The addition of 30 % HIPE increased the hardness from 376 g to 590 g. The NaCl addition further improved textural and viscoelastic properties compared with the gels without NaCl. 30 % HIPE-filled gels with salts (NaCl and TP) has the highest hardness (3562 g) and the lowest cooking loss (3.41 %). Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) revealed that salts, especially TP, could promote the transition of α-helices to β-sheets structure. Moreover, the chicken gels with TP had higher acyl chain disorder. In summary, the co-addition of HIPE and salt (NaCl/TP) has a positive effect on the formation of chicken gel, thereby providing potential applications in comminuted meat products.

Plant-Based Phenolic Molecules as Natural Preservatives in Comminuted Meats: A Review.

Comminuted meat products are highly susceptible to safety and quality degradation partly because of their large interfacial area in the emulsion. The food industry extensively uses synthetic chemical preservatives to delay that degradation which is caused by microbial growth, enzyme activities and oxidation reactions. However, due to the potential health damage (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers among others) synthetic preservatives in meat may cause, consumers are becoming skeptical to buy meat products containing such additives. In the meat industry, the interest of finding natural food preservatives is intensifying. Polyphenolic-rich plants used as natural food preservatives offer the best alternative for a partial or a complete replacement of their synthetic counterparts. They can be extracted from natural sources such as olives, fruits, grapes, vegetables, spices, herbs, and algae, and among others. The common feature of these phenolic compounds is that they have one or more aromatic rings with one or more -OH group which are essential for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This review article is intended to provide an overview of the plant-based phenolic molecules used as natural food preservative, their antimicrobial and antioxidant mechanism of action, and their potential application in comminuted meat.

Effect of water, fat, and salt contents on heating uniformity and color of ground beef subjected to radio frequency thawing process

The comminuted meat products are popular and important in the global market. Radio frequency (RF) heating has been proposed as a new alternative method for thawing bulk frozen comminuted meat products with the main advantages of rapid and volumetric heating. However, the temperature non-uniformity is the main obstacle for its industrial applications. In the present study, effects of the level of added water (15–25%), fat (15–25%) and salt (0.1–1.0%) on the heating uniformity and color of ground beef were investigated using a 6 kW 27.12 MHz RF system during thawing process. The results showed that added water had a negative impact on the RF heating uniformity, and a positive impact on beef color. Fat had a major negative effect on the RF heating uniformity and a positive impact on the lightness of the beef sample. The high salt content had a positive influence on the RF heating uniformity, and a significant negative effect on L* value of beef samples. The results may provide some potential methods to improve the RF heating uniformity and quality of food during RF thawing processing.

Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Curing Potentials of Micronized Celery Powders added to Pork Sausages.

Meat industries utilize plant material such as celery in cured meat products. Extraction of valuable bioactive compounds, nitrates and nitrites often involves processes that increase cost or lack sustainability. Thus, this study investigated the effect of ball-milled celery powders (CP) on the physicochemical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties along with curing efficiency in comminuted meat product. Pork sausages loaded with CPs with different average particle sizes: 265 μm (T1), 68 μm (T2) and 7 μm (T3) were compared to those added without and with sodium nitrite (150 ppm). The a* values were increased for sausages with larger particle size. The L* values decreased for all CPs. Residual nitrite for all particle sizes increased in the earlier stages and decreased at the end of storage period. The curing efficiency also increased for larger size particles with an increase until day 9 followed by a gradual decrease. Superfine CP had a tendency to improve the antioxidant activities. The antimicrobial activity of CPs was not comparable with nitrite added sausages. The textural parameters remained unaffected by particle size. Thus, instead of extracts or juices, micronized CPs could be used to improve the antioxidant activities and curing efficiency of label friendly reformulated meat products.

Raw and cooked meat emulsion stability as affected by starches determined by principal component analysis

This work aimed to study the relationship between meat emulsion in both raw and cooked states employing two different types of starch, potato, and wheat, in meat batters formulated with different fat percent. Emulsion stability as related to water retention capacity, thermal denaturation temperature, and enthalpy plus thermal diffusivity were determined in the raw and cooked state. There was an inherent difference in potato starch functionality, with higher emulsion stability and yield, but the Pearson correlation analysis and PCA demonstrated that water holding capacity and the denaturation enthalpy resulted in higher cook yield as a consequence of lower expressible moisture. This results in establishing the importance to maintain meat extensors as starches functionality before and during mixing and thermal processing to obtain better yield and less water release in fat-reduced meat products, both important quality parameters, related to sensory (juiciness) and texture (hardness) properties of comminuted meat products.

Aqueous Leaf Extract of Senduduk (Melastoma malabathricum L.) Could Improve the Physicochemical Properties of Beef Sausage Dough

Improving comminuted meat products characteristics using a natural agent, such as phytochemicals, in order to replace the use of nitrite, have become a need due to the health reason. The quality of the sausage is also affected by the initial characteristics of the dough. Therefore, this research was conducted to investigate the effect of aqueous leaf extract of senduduk (Melastoma malabathricum L.) on the physicochemical properties of beef sausage dough. Different four formulas as treatment were employed to form the dough: formula A was as a control consisted of beef meat, vegetable oil, skim milk powder, tapioca, salt, phosphate, and seasoning; formula B was control added with extract 0.55%; formula C was control added with sodium nitrite 0.0011%, and formula D was control added with extract 0.55% and sodium nitrite 0.0011%. All ingredients were blended to be the dough. The result of the study denoted that the extract (B and D) significantly decreased (P<0.05) pH, and aw value with no difference in water content among the dough. The total phenolic content of the dough containing extract (B and D) was markedly higher (P<0.05) than were others. It increased significantly on antioxidant capacity, scavenging activity, and reduced the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value of the dough. There was also no nitrite residual detected in all dough. In conclusion, the extract could improve the physicochemical properties of beef sausage dough and replace the use of nitrite in the dough.