Transglutaminase as binding agent in fresh restructured beef steak with added walnuts

Restructured beef steaks with added walnuts (0, 10 and 20%) and salts (2% NaCl and 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate), were prepared, using microbial transglutaminase (MTG) (0.7%)/sodium caseinate (3%) as cold-set binder, and stored in chilling conditions (6 days at 3 degreesC. Restructured beef steak with walnuts presented acceptable sensory characteristics. Addition of both walnuts and salts reduced the total loss (sum of purge and cooking losses), which increased (P<0.05) during storage. Added walnut reduced (P<0.05) binding strength of uncooked and cooked products. With MTG, the restructured beef steaks presented suitable mechanical characteristics (meat particle binding) for handling in the raw state. However, other means need to be used, along with MTG, to induce the protein-water interactions required for suitable water and binding properties in fresh and cooked products. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.