Characteristics of restructured beef steak with different proportions of walnut during frozen storage

Physicochemical (thawing loss, cooking loss, surface shrinkage, texture, colour and lipid oxidation) and sensory properties of restructured beef steak with different levels of added walnut (0%, 10% and 20%) were determined at various times during frozen storage up to 128 days. Cooking loss (CL), Kramer shear force (KSF) and binding strength (BS) of restructured beef decreased (P < 0.05) as the proportion of walnut increased. Walnut enhanced (P < 0.05) lightness and yellowness and reduced (P < 0.05) redness. Frozen storage did not affect (P > 0.05) CL, KSF and BS of restructured beef steak. Redness decreased (P < 0.05) over storage for all samples. Lipid oxidation of restructured beef steak containing walnut was not a limiting factor for frozen stability of meat products. Frozen storage had no effect (P > 0.05) on the sensory quality of restructured beef steak. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.