Meat+Poultry - November 2022 - 58

INGREDIENT ISSUES
freeze-thaw stability, " Shaheed said. " For beef
patties, we offer an optimized sodium blend
that improves the water-holding capacity of the
patty and helps create a softer texture with a
softer bite. "
Rob Ames, director of business
development, Corbion, Lenexa, Kan., said,
" Salts of lactic acid, such as potassium lactate,
are long-trusted tools for increasing moisture
retention in meats. They increase the ionic
strength of the formulation causing muscle
protein to swell and in turn cooked yield
to rise. "
Ingredient companies
offer many options to
ensure the succulence
of finished products by
addressing moisture
issues in raw products.
When animal protein is at its iso-electric
point (about pH 5.1), it does not bind water
very well. However, when meat protein is
charged, it attracts water and binds it. Protein
gets charged by lowering or raising its pH.
That's one of the functions of phosphates.
Phosphates also chelate ions in the protein
system, which contributes to increased waterholding
capacity. Chelating divalent ions
prevents them from forming cross-bridges
between proteins, allowing the proteins to
unfold and bind free water more readily.
Food-grade phosphates are derived from
phosphoric acid and can assume many forms.
The USDA allows phosphates to be labeled
as " sodium phosphate, " or in the case of the
new generation of no-sodium phosphates, then
" potassium phosphate, " even though these
are often blends of phosphates with unique
functionalities for specific applications. When
used with sodium chloride, the ingredient
system further increases the water-holding
capacity of the protein.
Proper selection and use of phosphates
can increase yields by more than 10%, thus
reducing shrinkage (moisture loss) and purge
(cook-out) during further processing and final
cooking. This has both economic and product
quality advantages.
Amr Shaheed, technical service managerfood
applications, Innophos Inc., Cranbury,
NJ, said phosphates also improve freezethaw
stability.
" For chicken products, we offer an
optimized sodium blend geared towards
improving texture, color stability and
58 MEAT+POULTRY | 11.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
Kemin is rolling out a new clean-label line
of moisture enhancing-ingredients. These
functional proteins provide processors with
a complement or alternative to phosphates.
By incorporating them into the meat block
formulation, raw material input costs may be
lowered while simultaneously allowing more
natural retention of yield and a juicier bite
for consumers.
These ingredients are derived from like
cuts of meat, including beef, pork and poultry
without any artificial ingredients. By putting
like protein into like protein, a manufacturer
maintains more of the natural texture and taste
in meat products.
" The patented process utilizes a pH shift
process that allows native myofibrillar proteins
to hold more water and result in improved
moisture retention even during prolonged
heating exposure, " said Michael Cropp,
technical service associate, Kemin. " Typically,
the functional proteins are added to the fresh
(or green) weight of boneless portioned
enhanced meat and poultry cuts without
impacting a label declaration. "
In some applications, the ingredient
appears on the label with the respective
species called out (e.g., beef, pork, chicken,
turkey, etc.) and the word " protein, " such as
" beef protein. "
Kemin conducted numerous trials to
evaluate the impact of the functional proteins'
ingredients on beef and poultry yield, as
compared to untreated and phosphate
controls. In a trial on cooked chicken sheet
meat prepared using a typical commercial
process of maceration, vacuum tumbling and
impingement cooking, the functional protein
improved yield while reducing the starting
meat block by 10%. When used in combination
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