Effects of lactate and modified atmospheric packaging on premature browning in cooked ground beef patties

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 85; no. 2; pp. 339 - 346
• Main Authors: Mancini, R.A., Ramanathan, R., Suman, S.P., Konda, M.K.R., Joseph, P., Dady, G.A., Naveena, B.M., López-López, I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2010; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; appearance (quality); Atmosphere; beef quality; Biological and medical sciences; carbon dioxide; Cattle; Color; Cooked color; cooked foods; Cooking; discoloration; Food industries; food packaging; Food Packaging - methods; food preservation; Food Preservation - methods; food preservatives; Food Preservatives - chemistry; food storage; food surfaces; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Ground beef; hamburgers; Handling, storage, packaging, transport; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Lactate; lactates; Lactates - chemistry; lipid oxidation; Lipid Peroxidation; Meat - analysis; Meat and meat product industries; Modified atmosphere packaging; nitrogen; oxygen; packaging materials; poly(vinyl chloride); Premature browning; raw meat; shelf life; storage time; vacuum packaging; Cooked color; Premature browning; Lactate; Modified atmosphere packaging; Ground beef; Color; Meat product; Minced meat; Lactates; Browning; Packaging; Conditioning; Beef
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2010.02.001

Our objectives were to determine the effects of lactate and modified atmosphere packaging on raw surface color, lipid oxidation, and internal cooked color of ground beef patties. Eight chubs (85% lean) were divided in half and each half was either assigned to the control (no lactate) or mixed with 2.5% lactate (w/w). Following treatment, patties were prepared and packaged in either vacuum, PVC (atmospheric oxygen level), high-oxygen (80% O 2 + 20% CO 2), or 0.4% CO (30% CO 2 + 69.6% N 2) and stored for 0, 2, or 4 days at 2 °C. After storage, raw surface color and lipid oxidation were measured and patties were cooked to either 66 °C or 71 °C. Lactate improved ( p < 0.05) color stability of PVC, high-oxygen, and vacuum packaged raw patties, but had no effect ( p > 0.05) on the a∗ values and visual color scores of patties in 0.4% CO. Lactate decreased ( p < 0.05) lipid oxidation in all packaging atmospheres. Nevertheless, high-oxygen and PVC-packaged patties had more ( p < 0.05) lipid oxidation than patties in CO and vacuum. Lactate had no effect ( p > 0.05) on premature browning, whereas patties packaged in high-oxygen demonstrated premature browning. Conversely, cooked patties in 0.4% CO and vacuum were more red ( p < 0.05) than both high-oxygen and PVC-packaged patties. Although lactate improved raw color stability, it did not minimize premature browning in cooked ground beef patties.