Improved Yields And Textural Properties
The following abstracts were taken from the 1995 Institute of Food Technologists annual Meeting Book of Abstracts.
Meat and Potato Synergies
Cooking uncured, comminuted meats will lead to warmed-over flavor (WOF) during storage, a serious flavor problem, unless effective antioxidant systems are employed.
Cooking yield is also a critical economic consideration. Objectives of this study were to determine antioxidant and binding characteristics of a recently developed dehydrated potato extract.
Two potato extracts, NP-3 and NP-4, were prepared by extracting potato materials and making a dry powder. Studies were conducted to determine antioxidant properties of NP-3 and NP-4 in comminuted cooked beef, pork and chicken.
The distillation of TBARS procedure was used to measure WOF.
NP-3 and NP-4 improved yields of pre-cooked patties and greatly reduced TBARS. Potato starch and potato flour improved binding but had little antioxidant activity.
A 4-by-2 factorial design was employed to study effectiveness of NP-3 and pre-blending in beef patties with 24 percent added water. Patties were formulated in four treatments: controls, 0.1 percent magnesium chloride, 2 percent NP-3, and 0.1 percent magnesium chloride plus 2 percent NP-3.
One group was impingement cooked to 149 degrees F internal; the other group stores at 36 degrees F for six days, after which it was also cooked to 149 degrees F. After cooking, patties were placed on trays, cooled, wrapped in polyvinyl chloride film, and stored for six days at 37 degrees F.
Pre-blending marginally improved yields which ranged from 85.4 for controls to 99.07 percent for pre-blended patties with magnesium chloride+NP-3, basing yields on original meat weight. NP-3 was a more effective antioxidant than magnesium chloride (P<.0000) and pre-blending had a significant effect in increasing the effectiveness of NP-3 in reducing TBARS (P<.001).
No synergistic effects were observed between magnesium chloride and NP-3. Subsequent studies demonstrated that NP-4 is a significantly more effective antioxidant than NP-3.
This project was conducted by P.B. Addis, J.C. Kerr and R.G. Beck, Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota and Nonpareil Corp.
Meat stick research
Cured "meat stick" products are under development by the U.S. Army as both eat-alone items and as components of shelf-stable sandwiches.
Both the overall moisture content and the level of glycerol (used as a humectant) in the meat, which are adjusted to control water activity, affect textural properties and storage stability.
Ground beef-based meat sticks were produced with glycerol levels of 0 percent, 2 percent and 4 percent; cured and dried to water activity levels of .90 and .85 (corresponding respectively to about 50 percent and 35 percent moisture content).
Samples were analyzed by uniaxial compression (using a Texture Technologies Texture Analyzer) after production, and after 125 degree F storage for one, two, three and four weeks; modulus, percent recoverable work and relaxation properties were calculated. Color differences were also determined using a Hunter colorimeter.
Selected meat sticks were furthermore baked into sandwiches and the rate of moisture equilibration within the system assessed.
Results show that glycerol as well as water acts as a significant textural plasticizer. Reductions in modulus and solidity (a relaxation parameter) were in the range of 30 percent to 50 percent, comparing either low vs. high moisture samples or 0 percent vs. 4 percent glycerol samples.
Higher moisture samples were more elastic, as determined by recoverable work (20 percent to 40 percent) in all samples and produced slight darkening.
Moisture migration studies of sandwiches showed that moisture content gradients from the (meat) center to the (bread) crust were nearly linear but progressively reduced in magnitude throughout storage.
This project was conducted by A.H. Barrett, T. Reed, M. Richardson, J. Briggs and C. Whalen, Ration Systems division, Sustainability Directorate, U.S. Army Natick RD&E Center, Natick, Mass.