APPLICATION OF FOOD GRADE COATINGS TO TURKEY BUTTOCKS

Battering and breading control the level of moisture removal and fat absorption and also improve the physical and sensorial properties of deep-fried products. The effects of zein, soy protein isolate (SPI), guar and xanthan gums and corn and soy flours on the quality of turkey nuggets were studied using Response Surface Methodology. Turkey buttock chunks were predusted with combinations of zein and SPI (25:75, 50:50, 75:25%), then sprayed with combinations of guar and xanthan gum (0.1:0.3, 0.2:0.2, 0.3:0.1%) after which they were breaded with corn and soy flour (25:75, 50:50, 75:25%). The samples were evaluated for the degree of adhesion, fat absorption, cooking yield and color attributes. The pre-dusting adhesion rate (PD-AR) was higher than 5% with increased zein in the blend. Film-forming properties of zein also reduced fat uptake during frying. Wetting stage altered the last coating adhesion rate (LC-AR). Analytical optimization of nuggets having a good coating, higher cooked yield and desired color were obtained with zein and SPI at the ratio of 73:27% as pre-dusting, guar and xanthan at the ratio of 0.3:0.1%, and corn and soy flour at the ratio of 35:75. Adhesion rate of the last coating and cooking yield were correlated with each other (r=0.73, P<0.001).