Author
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ANDERSON, ELLEN - U-MD |
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Berry, Bradford |
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Submitted to: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 6/16/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: The ability of added ingredients to bind fat and/or water in ground meat products is very important to meat processors, especially those producing low-fat products. The U.S. Defense Department has an interest in maximizing fat retention in selected meat products for use by troops under periods of intense activity. Most of the tests to measure fat binding are laborious and do not include heat in the procedure. We developed a new test that is rapid, uses a very small sample of a meat and non-meat ingredient mixture, involves microwave heating to maximize fat and moisture release and is reproducible. This test was applied to a variety of starch, fiber and protein ingredients in ground beef and substantial differences occurred in the ability of these ingredients to bind fat. Addition of inner pea fiber to ground beef permitted a 100 percent retention of fat in this test procedure. Thus, this ingredient will be extensively investigated in future estudies with a variety of meat products, including shelf stable extruded meat sticks. This new test for fat-binding capacity should prove useful to meat processors in selecting appropriate non-meat ingredients. Technical Abstract: Eleven starch-, fiber-, and protein-based ingredients were evaluated for their fat binding capacity (FBC) using a new, rapid method identified as the funnel test. In this method, a 10 percent (wt/wt) dry addition of the ingredient was added to 20-gram samples of 20 percent fat ground beef, mixed and formed into a doughnut shape using a laminated template. The sample was placed into the mouth of a plastic funnel (7.0 cm diameter) which was attached to a 15 ml graduated glass test tube stabilized within a 125-ml Erlenmeyer flask. Samples were cooked for a standard amount of time using low power microwave energy until an internal temperature of approximately 90 deg C was attained. Cooking loss volumes of aqueous and fat fractions were measured. FBC was determined based on the amount of fat released during cooking. The funnel test was used successfully to screen a variety of ingredients for fat-holding potential when used within a ground beef system. Ground beef mixed with inner pea fiber retained the most fat, while the all-beef control samples retained the least fat. This technique may prove useful in preliminary investigations where identification of functional ingredients is desirable. |
