Capillarity proposed as the predominant mechanism of water and fat stabilization in cooked comminuted meat batters.
Fat- and nonfat-containing meat gels structurally became coarser and porous by partial substitution of whey protein isolate for myofibrillar protein, creating a weaker texture plus greater cook loss (CL: fat+water) and expressible water (EW). Microstructure examinations revealed a tendency for fat to coalesce during cooking of the more coarse-structured gels. This tendency was unaffected by fat pre-emulsification prior to addition, arguing against a strong role of an interfacial protein film in stabilizing fat. Instead, a gel structure with evenly distributed small pores leads to lower CL and EW, thus controlling both water- and fat- holding since fat cannot readily permeate small water-filled hydrophilic pores. Only when large pores or continuous fissures are structurally present can water be released, allowing liquid fat to also migrate and coalesce. This changes the current paradigm of understanding regarding the mechanism of fat/water-holding in comminuted meat products: gel capillarity (gel structure), not fat emulsifying ability of protein, is the likely determining factor.
James Ford Bell Technical Center, General Mills, 9000 Plymouth Ave. N, Minneapolis, MN 55427, United States. Electronic address: Wenjie1108@gmail.com.
Wenjie
W
Liu
Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Box 7624, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States.
Tyre C
TC
Lanier
Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8203, 5238 SAS Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States.
Jason A
JA
Osborne
D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D002197:Capillary Action; D002645:Chickens; D003296:Cooking; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000032:analysis*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D004655:Emulsions; D005511:Food Handling; D063427:Food Quality; D005782:Gels; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*; D000067816:Whey Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
D004041:Dietary Fats; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D004655:Emulsions; D005782:Gels; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D000067816:Whey Proteins; D014867:Water; C029310:lard
Fat stabilization; Fracture; Microstructure; Water holding capacity