Abstract:

Restructured beef is made from smaller pieces of beef fused together by a binding agent. In order to improve the quality of restructured beef, a mixture of transglutaminase (TG) and sodium caseinate (SC) at a ratio of 1:4 (m/m) was used to bind beef pieces. The effects of time (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 h), temperature (1, 4, 7 or 10 ℃) and pressure (2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 N/m2) on physical properties of restructured beef were studied by one-factor-at-a-time method. The results showed that the optimal time, temperature and pressure were 3 h, 4 ℃ and 4 N/m2, respectively. Under these conditions, the binding strength of restructured beef was reinforced, the thawing loss and cooking loss were decreased, and the texture and color were improved.

Key words: reaction condition, restructured beef, property, transglutaminase, sodium caseinate