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The 2 Best Common Usages of Carrageenan in Meat Products
Carrageenan in Meat Products
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【Summary】
As one global carrageenan powder supplier, our carrageenan is widely used in meat products to provide good texture, binder water, increase yield, save cost, could also be used as fat replacements in low-fat meat products.
This article will take you through the 2 common usages of carrageenan in meat products. Keep reading to learn more.
What are the 2 Common Usages of Carrageenan in Meat Products?
We all know that different meat products have different processing techniques, so the use of carrageenan is also different. Generally speaking, carrageenan powder in meat products can be divided into two types according to its usages:
Carrageenan Powder
Carrageenan Powder
Injection Type Carrageenan Powder
Injection type carrageenan is designed for use in lumpy meat products, e.g. barbecued meats, marinades, etc. This kind of carrageenan is dispersed in brine and injected into the meat by means of an injection needle.
The carrageenan should be dispersed in brine and injected into the meat by means of an injection needle, where it is evenly distributed within the meat tissue.
This kind of carrageenan powder mainly plays the role of gelling, water retention, emulsification and enhanced elasticity, in addition to improve product quality and reduce costs.
The fineness and dispersion of the injection type carrageenan is therefore very important.
Cautions:
The brine should be prepared by dissolving ascorbate, phosphate, soy protein, etc. in water prior to salting. Disperse injection type carrageenan powder in water after salting.
The temperature of the brine should not exceed 2°C before injection
Injection type carrageenan is usually compounded from refined carrageenan that has undergone further processing
During thermal processing, when the central temperature reaches above 60-75 °C, the carrageenan particles in the meat begin to swell and bind the water and soluble proteins in the meat. When the central temperature cooled to 50-60 ℃ below, carrageenan in the meat will gel into a large area network.
The temperature at which the carrageenan begins to swell increases with increasing concentrations of carrageenan and salt.
Tumbling and Chopping Type Carrageenan Powder
Generally speaking, tumbling type carrageenan and chopping type carrageenan are usually compounded from semi-refined carrageenan, and their difference is not great.
The only difference is that the focus of their roles in meat products is different, and the application process is a little bit different.
What is Tumbling
Tumbling is a very important process in meat products, especially in low-temperature meat products, such as reconstituted ham, sausages and the above-mentioned injection type meat products, where the tumbling process is necessary to ensure that the meat proteins are sufficiently separated from the food additives (including carrageenan) and water. This is very important for the formation of a good structure of the meat product.
What is Chopping
For minced meat products, the chopping process is required.
The meat is emulsified with the added food additives (including carrageenan) and water in a high-speed chopping machine to form homogeneous minced meat, which forms a good structure.
The Main Purpose of Tumbling and Chopping
The main purpose of tumbling type carrageenan is to enhance the adhesion and thickening of the meat pieces or grains. It is used in a similar way to injection type carrageenan, preferably in brine, which is then added to a tumbler with other excipients and meat.
Chopping type carrageenan powder acts to thicken, emulsify and hold water between minced meat.
It is usually added at the end of the chopping process together with the other excipients and the remaining ice water.
Role of Carrageenan Powder in Meat Products and the Amount of Carrageenan Added
The amount of carrageenan used in different meat products varies.
As carrageenan does not have any toxic side effects, there is no limit to the amount of carrageenan that can be used.
Depending on the effect, the appropriate amount of carrageenan to use depends on the quality of the meat and the desired yield.
With increasing consumer demand for meat textures and the need to reduce costs, the addition of carrageenan to meat products has become increasingly important.
The addition of carrageenan is gradually increasing.
If the expected yield of injected meat products is more than 120%, the content of carrageenan in brine is generally not less than 1.0%, and some manufacturers even reach 1.8% or more.
The amount of carrageenan used in ground meat products such as ham sausage can be determined by the quantity and quality of the raw meat, starch and protein added.
If the amount of meat, starch and protein added is small and the quality is poor, then the amount of carrageenan used should be larger. In meat products, the typical amount of carrageenan used is between 0.5 and 1.0%. The addition of about 0.5% carrageenan to poultry products can reduce cooking losses by more than 2%.
Carrageenan in meat products is used as a small component but it has a big effect on the overall properties of the final product.
Gino Injection, Gino Tumbling and Chopping, Gino Thermal Irreversible, serve as natural meat binders and provide the following advantages in meat:
- Improves the quality of the finished product by enhancing its texture, sliceability, and mouthfeel
- Increases the ability to retain water during and after processing
- Increases the production yield through the incorporation of large volumes of brine solution into the meat
- Stabilizes the fat-protein emulsion in meat, thereby preventing separation and consequently greatly improving cohesion of the meat particles and appearance of the final meat product
- Readily dispersible on brine systems with little or no viscosity development until cooking begins
- Provides stability to freeze-thaw cycling
Carrageenan thus helps meat processors achieve product quality throughout the processing and distribution cycle resulting in better shelf life.
In the food market, the meat industry is the fastest growing. It is one of the most profitable markets for carrageenan worldwide. As carrageenan stabilizes fat and water emulsions during preparation, cooking, and storage, it promotes higher profit margins because of the increase in yield.
Among the many food applications carrageenan caters to, Henan Gino Biotech is particularly strong in providing carrageenan for the meat industry. Through much skill and experience, Gino has developed various products for injection in meat or incorporation in meat emulsions. Gino's products are intended for meat products such as:
- Hamburger Patty
- Meatballs
- Ham
- Corned Beef
- Bacon
- Frankfurters
- Luncheon Meat
- Chicken Nuggets
- Processed Poultry
- Processed Turkey
- Sausages
- Processed Chicken
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About Gino Biotech
We are a biotech company specialized in the research, development and commercialization of innovative and technological food additives hydrocolloids Agar Agar, Carrageenan and Tailor-Made Stabilizer Solutions.
With the extended know-how and experience in the research, application and use of Hydrocolloids, we could provide one-stop-shop customized solutions perfectly matched to the needs of our customers.
Our products cover the needs of the Meat, Dairy, Bakery, Confectionery and other industrial sectors.
