Rapid Heating of Alaska Pollock and Chicken Breast Myofibrillar Protein Gels as Affecting Water-Holding Properties

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 60; no. 40; pp. 10111 - 10117
• Main Authors: Stevenson, Clinton D, Liu, Wenjie, Lanier, Tyre C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 10.10.2012
• Subjects: Animal productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Chickens; cooking; Cooking - methods; cooling; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gadiformes; gelation; gels; Gels - chemistry; heat treatment; Hot Temperature; meat paste; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Muscle Proteins - chemistry; Muscle Proteins - ultrastructure; myofibrils; Myofibrils - chemistry; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; pastes; pasting properties; Terrestrial animal productions; Theragra chalcogramma; Vertebrates; Water - analysis; Water holding; pore size; gels; water mobility; heating rate; Water; Farming animal; Poultry; Heating rate; Mobility; Properties; Protein; Vertebrata; Pore size; Meat animals; Heating; Chicken; Aves
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf3032292

The gelation response of salted muscle minces to rapid versus slow heating rates is thought to differ between homeotherm and poikilotherm species. This study investigated water-holding (WH) properties of pastes prepared from refined myofibrils, at equal pH, of chicken breast versus Alaska pollock both during [cook loss (CL)] and following [expressible water (EW)] their cooking by rapid [microwave (MW)] versus slow [water bath (WB)] heating and whether such properties were related to gel matrix structure parameters and water mobility. Results did not confirm the industrial experience that pastes of meat from homeotherms benefit from slower cooking. Gels of equally high WH ability (low CL or EW) were made by rapid heating when the holding time did not exceed 5 min prior to cooling, which was sufficient for completion of gelation. Reduced CL and EW correlated with larger and smaller amplitudes of T21 and T22 water pools, respectively, measured by time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR).