Meat protein functionality and non-meat ingredients Flashcards
Why is it important to solubilise myofibrillar proteins in both ham and emulsified meat products? Explain the role of myofibrillar proteins in both products
because in ham we need to make the surface sticky to bind the pieces of meat together, while in emulsion-type products we need solubilised proteins to act as emulsifiers. In general in all meat products that contain water they help to bind water and gel
How do phosphates increase WBC?
they increase pH, dissociate actomyosin and they bind to myofibrillar proteins, they mask positive sites, increasing WHC
What does it mean that phosphates and NaCl have synergistic effects?
with both WHC is greater than just using 1
Explain why the concept of yield is important in meat products and how can this be maximised
yield is the total resulting product from the raw materials we put in (the final cooked weight/the starting weight x100). Products are sold by weight, so we need to minimise weight loss. The more water the higher the yield, so the final product we can sell to consumers.
What is the difference between a filler and a binder in terms of salt activated protein content?
a filler has a low salt activated protein content, while a binder has a lot of salt activated proteins
How can salt be reduced in meat products?
using up to 50% KCl or CaCl2 but they give bitter taste
Why is water added to meat products?
more tenderness/juiciness, temperature control, carrier for other ingredients, replace moisture loss, maximise yield
Give some examples of non-meat proteins that can be added to meat products and explain their role
milk proteins, soy proteins, and wheat gluten, they are added to bind water and emulify fat instead of more expensive meat proteins
Why are antioxidants added to meat products? Provide some examples. What does their % of inclusion depend on?
they avoid lipid oxidation, they can be natural or syntethic, their addition depends on the fat content, the higher the fat content, the higher the % of inclusion
Provide some examples of fillers/water binders/gums added to meat products and explain their function
“e.g. cereal flours, starch, rusk, carrageenans, alginates, gums
(i) to improve water binding capacity;
(ii) to reduce shrinkage during cooking;
(iii) to improve slicing characteristics;
(iv) to reduce formulation costs
(v) fat replacers.”
