There are many kinds of edible gums used in meat products, which are prepared from plants and seaweeds, microorganisms, and animals. The most widely used meat products in China are carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, agar, gelatin, sodium alginate, locust bean gum, and konjac gum. Because of its gel water retention and protein function, it can enhance the stability of the dispersion system and is widely used in meat products as a coating agent for meat products. It can improve the physical properties of meat products, increase the adhesion and water holding capacity, and give it a good taste.
For the problem that the meat content is low and the gel itself is not enough, in addition to adding soy protein isolate, adding edible colloid can significantly improve this defect. Some of them can interact with proteins to increase the gel properties of the system, such as carrageenan. Part of it is combined with water to form a gel to enhance the gelatinity of the system, such as gelatin, jelly, agar, kadlan gum, etc. At the same time, most of the gels have good water retention.
1. Calcium Sulfate
Calcium sulfate (gypsum) can be divided into three types according to the amount of crystal water: calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4`2H2O), calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4`1/2H2O), and calcium sulfate anhydrous (CaSO4). The two main types used in food are calcium sulfate dihydrate and calcium sulfate anhydrous. When calcium sulfate dihydrate is heated to a certain temperature, it is dehydrated to form calcium sulfate anhydrous, and calcium sulfate anhydrous absorbs water to become calcium sulfate dihydrate.
The standard of food additive calcium sulfate is strictly controlled in all countries in the world, and relevant mandatory standards have been formulated for its application in food. In order to strengthen the supervision of the food industry and regulate market behavior, China has issued and implemented a series of laws and regulations on food additives since 2004, and implemented a strict system of food hygiene licenses and industrial production licenses.
The processing, production, and sales of food additive calcium sulfate must obtain the “Food Sanitation License” issued by the provincial health authority and the “National Industrial Product Production License” issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine. Those without relevant qualifications shall not be produced, sold, or used.
The role of calcium sulfate in other foods is listed in the national food safety standard “Standard for the Use of Food Additives GB2760-2014”, which is mainly used as an acidity regulator and thickener.
2. Application of Calcium Sulfate and Carrageenan Interaction in Meat Products.
In aqueous solutions, K- and λ-carrageenans have coagulation properties due to the formation of thermoreversible gels and are affected by cations. Cations such as Ca2+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, and NH4+ can significantly improve the gel strength. Within a certain range, the gel strength increases with the increase of the cation concentration. Calcium ions in calcium sulfate induce the formation of a good uniform network structure without supramolecular beams. This may be due to the bridging between calcium ions and the half-ester sulfate groups on carrageenan, and reducing the repulsion between carrageenan macromolecules. This helps the carrageenans to kink and entangle with each other, forming a gel with a network structure. In addition, due to the filling and supporting the action of the bridging action of calcium ions, a gel with great strength is formed.
Using calcium sulfate within a certain range can enhance the strength and elasticity of carrageenan, and too little or too much will reduce the strength of carrageenan. Due to the low solubility of calcium sulfate in water, some calcium sulfate will be insoluble at higher concentrations, so the use of a larger amount will affect the transparency of carrageenan.
During meat processing, water is often poured into the meat in the form of pure water or brine. However, during heat treatment, water is released from the meat, causing cooking losses and syneresis in the product, reducing product weight and yield. On the other hand, the exuded water and extracted meat protein will form a gel-like substance on the surface of the product, which will affect the appearance of the product.
Adding carrageenan to meat products can improve the water-holding capacity of meat, keep its surface dry, and reduce cooking losses and syneresis. Not only does this help increase the yield of the product, it also has a positive impact on the quality of the product, including juiciness and texture. Also, it is colorless and odorless, and will not impart odor or discoloration to the product. Specifically, it acts primarily as a gelling agent or stabilizer in meat products, binding the meat to water and encapsulating the brine in a network to make the meat juicier.
The network structure is formed during the initial sterilization (denaturation of meat proteins) and subsequent cooling of the meat product. In fact, carrageenan works synergistically with the salt-soluble proteins that are extracted from the meat during processing, creating a matrix that makes the meat firmer. In general, only a small amount of carrageenan has been added to meat spreads or minced meat products to improve spreadability and sliceability.
Carrageenan can also increase the adhesion of some products based on mechanically cut meat and poultry. The combined use of K-type, L-type, and λ-type, 3 basic varieties, mixed with water, can be used to replace fat components, so that low-fat products such as liver paste can produce the required spreadability. It is worth mentioning that only a small amount of it is required in meat products to exert its gelling effect. The typical dosage is 0.2%~1.0%. In this way, the manufacturer can improve the quality of the product at a lower cost, thereby increasing production efficiency.
Depending on the application, carrageenan can be added to meat with brine or directly as a dry powder. When mixed with brine, the salt must be dissolved in the water before the carrageenan is added. Because the salt prevents the carrageenan from dissolving, it can be dispersed in the brine system. If carrageenan is added before salting, it will dissolve in the water, making the brine thicker and unable to be injected into the meat. Basically, carrageenan does nothing when first mixed into the meat. As the temperature rises, it begins to swell, reducing viscosity and retaining water in the meat. In the subsequent cooling process, when the temperature drops to about 50~60℃, the carrageenan begins to form a jelly, and from then on, its function of retaining moisture is stronger.
Therefore, the product must be cooled as soon as possible after the carrageenan has been mixed. It is directly added to the chopper in the form of dry powder, such as in sausages and other emulsion applications, without the above problems.
3. Application of Calcium Sulfate and Alginate Interaction in Meat Products.
Reconstituted meat is to extract the mechanism protein in the muscle fiber with the help of machinery and adding accessories and use the bonding effect of the additives to change the original structure of the meat, so that the muscle tissue, adipose tissue, and connective tissue can be reasonably distributed and transformed. Meat particles and pieces are recombined and sold directly after being frozen or preheated to preserve and improve their tissue structure, so a gel network structure is required to combine meat with meat. Alginate can react with many high-valent cations (except magnesium) to produce the cross-linking effect. When the content of multivalent cations increases, the alginate solution thickens and forms a gel. Calcium ions are the multivalent ions most commonly used to alter the fluid and gel properties of alginate solutions. Therefore, the gel formed by sodium alginate and calcium sulfate is often used as a binder.
The level of muscle water holding capacity is directly related to the texture, tenderness, sliceability, elasticity, taste, yield, and other quality indicators of meat products, and also affects the economic benefits of meat enterprises. Due to pre-slaughter management, slaughtering process, cold processing such as refrigeration and freezing, and processing such as cooking, the muscle water loss rate is as high as 3% to 6%. In my country, about 300,000 tons of meat is lost every year due to muscle dehydration, which brings huge losses to enterprises and the country. Therefore, efforts must be made to improve the water-holding capacity of the muscles. P.J.Shand et al. studied the effects of the addition of colloids with calcium alginate and phosphate on the properties of recombinant beef rolls, and found that the combination of calcium alginate and gellan gum significantly improved the cooking yield.
