Effect of NaCl, polydextrose, and storage conditions on the functional characteristics and microbial quality of pre- and post-rigor salted beef

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 329 - 338
• Main Authors: Sadler, D.N., Swan, J.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-08-1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: bacteria; beef; beef mince; Biological and medical sciences; cold storage; controlled atmosphere storage; cook yield; cooking quality; cooling; cryoprotectants; finely comminuted sausage batters; food contamination; Food industries; frozen storage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; meat; Meat and meat product industries; meat characteristics; meat composition; microbial contamination; postmortem changes; products and commodities; salt soluble protein; salting; sausages; sodium chloride; strains; stresses; vacuum packaging; Meat emulsion; Under vacuum; Meat product; Shelf life; Food additive; Salt(seasonings); Freezing; Minced meat; Refrigerated storage; Concentration effect; Modified atmosphere; Cryoprotective agent; Beef
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/S0309-1740(97)00027-2

The functionality and microbial storage life of pre-rigor beef mince stored at −1.5 °C under vacuum or a saturated carbon dioxide atmosphere, or at −18 °C in polyethylene bags, was investigated. Salt (2%
w
w
) or salt plus the cryoprotectant Polydextrose
® (2%/2.6%
w
w
) was added pre-rigor to some samples. Chilled storage decreased salt soluble protein (SSP) by 13–18% (
P < 0.01); frozen storage decreased SSP content by 20%. Pre-rigor salted mince in saturated carbon dioxide packs had a satisfactory microbial quality after 12 weeks storage. The cook yield of finely comminuted sausage batters made from that mince and from fresh pre-rigor mince were similar, although batter stress and strain decreased with chilled storage. Adding Polydextrose
® to salted mince improved batter strain compared with the non-additive and salt-only samples and improved batter stress compared with the salt-only samples. The microbial storage life of chilled vacuumpacked unsalted mince was less than 6 weeks; pre-rigor salting increased its storage life.