Utilization of pea starch and fibre fractions for replacement of wheat crumb in beef burgers.

Beef burgers (22% fat) were formulated to contain 5% of pea starch (PS), pea fibre (PF) or their combinations (PS:PF; 75:25, 50:50, 25:75). Wheat crumb treatment served as control. Incorporation of pea fractions into burgers did not affect (P > .05) the colour of fresh burgers or the colour stability over 5 days of storage. All burger treatments containing pea fibre had lower (P < .05) cook loss than those formulated with wheat crumb or pea starch. Wheat crumb burgers were significantly (P < .05) softer, less cohesive and chewy than treatments with pea starch and fibre fractions. While panelist feedback suggest that 50:50 blend resulted in optimal firmness and juiciness characteristics, the acceptability mean scores of all pea starch and pea fibre blends were equivalent to wheat crumb control for all attributes which suggests that all combinations of pea starch and fibre can be utilized as gluten free alternatives to wheat crumb for meat binder applications without any detrimental impact on consumer acceptability.

The impact of high hydrostatic pressure on the functionality and consumer acceptability of reduced sodium naturally cured wieners.

The effects of high pressure processing (HPP; 600MPa for 3min at 8°C) on the quality and shelf life of reduced sodium naturally-cured wieners was studied. HPP did not negatively impact processing characteristics and assisted in extending shelf life of all wiener treatments up to a 12week storage period. At week 8, HPP wieners received higher acceptability scores, indicating HPP can effectively extend the sensory quality of products, including sodium reduced formulations containing natural forms of nitrite. Substitution of 50% NaCl with modified KCl had negative effect on textural characteristics of conventionally cured wieners but not those processed with celery powder as a source of nitrite. Celery powder favorably affected hydration of textural properties of wieners, and consumer acceptability of juiciness and texture was higher compared to nitrite. Sodium reduction, independent of curing agent, negatively impacted flavor acceptability, while only nitrite containing reduced sodium wieners scored significantly lower than both regular salt wieners for texture, juiciness and saltiness.

The use of high pressure processing to enhance the quality and shelf life of reduced sodium naturally cured restructured cooked hams.

The combined effect of partial salt replacement with modified potassium chloride and high pressure processing (600 MPa for 3 min at 8°C) on the quality and shelf life of naturally-cured restructured hams was investigated over a 12 week storage period. Instrumental, microbiological and consumer acceptability testing was performed. A partial salt substitution with modified potassium chloride adversely affected textural and water binding characteristics of hams and led to a decrease in the consumer acceptance compared to regular salt hams. Celery powder used as a curing agent had beneficial effects on water holding and moisture retention and improved bind of restructured hams; however the consumer acceptability of flavor and aftertaste received significantly lower scores compared to nitrite. No significant differences in all consumer acceptability parameters resulted for hams subjected to HPP compared to non-HPP for all storage periods indicating that HPP can effectively extend shelf-life of restructured ham without compromising eating quality.

Effect of hot water treatment of beef trimmings on processing characteristics and eating quality of ground beef.

The effect of hot water treatment of beef trimmings on the processing characteristics, shelf-life and consumer acceptability of ground beef was evaluated. Hot water treatment (85°C for 40s) substantially enhanced the microbial quality of trimmings during refrigerated storage and this was independent of the fat level of the trimmings. Treatment had no effect on the oxidative stability of trimmings stored up to 7days, ground beef displayed in a retail cabinet for up to 3days, and had minimal effect on textural properties. Instrumental results demonstrate that ground beef from hot water treated trimmings was slightly lighter and tended to have less red color compared to non-treated beef. These color differences did not impact the consumer acceptance of raw patties, and in addition, hot water treatment did not significantly affect the consumer acceptability of cooked patty attributes.

The impact of salt replacers and flavor enhancer on the processing characteristics and consumer acceptance of restructured cooked hams.

Two salt replacers (Ocean's Flavor - OF45, OF60) and one flavor enhancer [Fonterra™ 'Savoury Powder' (SP)] were evaluated for their ability to effectively reduce sodium, while maintaining the functional and sensory properties of restructured hams. Product functionality and safety were assessed using instrumental measures (yield, purge, pH, expressible moisture, proximate composition, sodium content, color, texture) and microbiological assessment. Sensory attributes were evaluated using consumer sensory panelists. All alternative formulations resulted in products with sodium contents below the Health Check(TM) Program guidelines, without detrimental effect on water binding and texture in treatments when NaCl was substituted with sea salt replacers (OF45, OF60). Sodium reduction had no effect on the shelf life of the cooked ham with up to 60 days of refrigerated storage. Consumer hedonics for flavor and aftertaste were lower for OF45 and OF60 compared to control, suggesting that these salt replacers may not be appropriate for inclusion in these products.