title: Effect of a beating process, as a means of reducing salt content in Chinese-style meatballs (kung-wan): a physico-chemical and textural study.
abstract: Two different meat-cutting methods were used to prepare kung-wans in an attempt to produce low-salt products while retaining the same, or improved, textural and physicochemical properties of the standard high-salt formulation. The level of salt and the processing method significantly affected color, cooking yield, texture and changes in the secondary structures of proteins. Improved salt levels resulted in firmer texture. At the same salt levels, compared with chopping, the beating method resulted in higher L(*)-values, improved cooking yields and changes in the β-sheet content of the proteins, which resulted in an improved product with better texture. Using the beating process, the kung-wans prepared with 1% and 2% salt had similar L(*)-values, cooking yield and texture, and were better than those prepared by chopping with 2% salt. Overall, the beating process enabled lowering of the salt content, making the kung-wans more hard, brittle and elastic.
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Meat Processing and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhuang-Li
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Xing-Lian
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Chao-Zhi
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guang-Hong
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D003116:Color; D003296:Cooking; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D005511:Food Handling; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012492:Salts / Q000032:analysis; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D012492:Salts
keywords: Beating; Chopping; Kung-wan; Physicochemical properties; Raman spectroscopy