Author
 |
Berry, Bradford |
|
Submitted to: Annual Meeting of Research and Development for Military Food & Packaging
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 3/2/1995 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: There is growing evidence to suggest that considerable variation exists in cooking properties (cooking yields, time, internal temperature, color) as processors remove fat from meat products to meet consumer demand. The extent of this variation was determined in a number of studies designed to improve the eating quality of low-fat ground meat products. Decreasing the efat content resulted in wide variation in the time required to reach a standardized final internal temperature; 160 deg F for example. Furthermore, internal color fluctuated widely as fat was reduced resulting in a high frequency of pink-red color. Because of the growing concern regarding food safety of meat products with any amount of pink color, consumers will typically cook these low-fat products either longer or to a higher temperature. As a result, eating quality will be greatly reduced. The following approaches appeared promising for controlling cooked meat color, while at the same time providing satisfactory cooking yields: (1) avoid using muscle from cattle that may have been stressed prior to slaughter, (2) use fat replacers which provide uniform rates of heating, and (3) avoid the use of rapid, high temperature cooking. Technical Abstract: Numerous studies have been performed by USDA-ARS to determine the effects of raw materials, fat levels, processing variations, fat replacers and cooking methods on cooking time, cooking yield, color and fat retention in beef patties, pork nuggets and pork pizza topping. Decreases in fat content increased cooking time and variability. Waffle perforation of patties coupled with individual quick freezing reduced cooking time. Modified food starches increased heating rate during the early phases of cooking beef patties. This increase in heating rate produced reductions in fat retention because fat departed the product during cooking before exterior surfaces became seared. Use of modified pregelatinized potato starch reduced the fat during cooking of 40 percent fat pork pizza topping to that found in 15 percent fat topping without the starch. Use of gels, gums and modified starches increased cooking yield. High temperature cooking methods (combination broiler-grilling, double contact grilling), while substantially reducing cooking time, did not improve cooking yield. Precooking coupled with reheating was found to greatly reduce cooking yield and create distortion in pork nuggets containing modified corn starch. A high frequency of pink-red color was found in low-fat beef patties cooked to 71 deg C. The color was due to incomplete denaturation of myoglobin during cooking. Use of high pH (> 5.9) muscle was associated with more pink-red color in cooked patties. Formulations incorporating "fat-reduced- beef" (low-temperature rendering) had less pink-red color regardless of pH. Use of low pH muscle, gels, gums or starches and intermediate temperature cooking are suggested approaches to improving cooking properties of low-fat meat products. |
