Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of non-phosphate water-retaining agents on the fluidity and rheological properties of emulsified meat batters and the quality characteristics of emulsified sausages. The experiment employed five treatments including a control group, a phosphate group and three non-phosphate water-retaining agent groups, which were based on sodium carbonate, sodium alginate and potassium carbonate, respectively. The results showed that the sodium alginate-based non-phosphate water-retaining agent group had the best fluidity. The compression force for this group was 49.73 g in texture analysis, which was significantly lower than that for the control (107.23 g) and phosphate (68.26 g) groups (P < 0.05). The rheological characterization showed that the sodium alginate-based water-retaining agent group had the lowest initial apparent viscosity; it exhibited the greatest increase in storage modulus at the end of heating and low tan δ, indicating the best gel-forming ability and good elasticity. Emulsified sausages with the sodium alginate-based water-retaining agent had the lowest cooking loss (P < 0.05) and exhibited enhanced water-binding capacity. The microstructure showed a dense and uniform myofibrillar protein network and its sensory score was closest to that of the phosphate group. In summary, the sodium alginate-based non-phosphate water-retaining agent can significantly improve the processing adaptability of emulsified meat batters and the quality of emulsified sausages. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the industrial production of non-phosphate emulsified meat products.

Key words: emulsified sausage; non-phosphate water-retaining agent; fluidity; rheological property; quality