MEAT MASSAGING: THE EFFECTS OF SALT, PHOSPHATE AND MASSAGING ON COOKING LOSS, BINDING STRENGTH AND EXUDATE COMPOSITION IN SECTIONED AND FORMED HAM

Excised muscles from cured hams were massaged with 0, 1, 2 or 3% of added salt in the presence and absence of 0.5% phosphate. At intervals of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hr of massaging, muscles were removed and stuffed into fibrous casing for further processing. Samples of the tacky exudate formed on the meat surfaces were also removed at the same time intervals and analyzed for fat, moisture and protein. Results showed that as the massaging time increased, the percentage of fat and protein in the exudate increased in all treatments. The binding quality and cooking loss of the prepared ham rolls, were also improved by the massaging process. A salt treatment of 2% appeared to be optimal for the development of adequate binding with decreased cooking loss. It was found that the presence of phosphate and absence of massaging resulted in the production of a product exhibiting cooking loss and binding properties superior to those of a product prepared in the absence of phosphate and presence of massaging, although the presence of both massaging and phosphate is beneficial for the production of an overall superior product.