The effects of high pressure and various binders on the physico-chemical properties of restructured pork meat

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of high pressure and the addition of non-meat proteins on the physico-chemical and binding properties of restructured pork. Pressurizations were carried out at up to 200 MPa and non-meat proteins used as a binder were isolated soy protein (ISP), sodium caseinate (SC), whey protein concentrate (WPC) and egg white powder (EWP). The pH values of all treatments were affected by the level of pressure. L*-value of all treatments increased significantly (p < 0.05), while both a*-value and b*-value of all treatments showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) with increasing pressure level. Binders could contribute only additive effects on both pH and color of the treatments. It was found that high pressure improved the water binding capacities and binding strength of the treatments. Binders also improved the binding strength of restructured pork. However, SC and WPC had no effect on water binding properties under high pressure. These results indicate that the application of high pressure had more significant effect on restructuring meat than binders.