Evaluation of solubilized proteins as an alternative to phosphates for meat enhancement

Select grade strip loins (n = 10) were enhanced 10% with either a phosphate or an acid solubilized protein solution. Color score, aerobic plate count, lipid oxidation, purge loss, cook yield, Warner-Bratzler shear force, and sensory analysis were measured to characterize storage quality. The phosphate injection consisted of 4.5% phosphate, 3.6% sodium chloride, 90.9% water, and 1% Herbalox seasoning. Two solutions were prepared for the protein injection: one consisting of 1:9 protein to water and the other an aqueous solution of 1% Herbalox seasoning and 3.6% sodium chloride. Enhancement solutions were injected twice at 5% to create a 10% total injection. It was found that the protein-enhanced steaks were comparable to phosphate-enhanced steaks for percent discoloration and overall acceptability. The phosphate-enhanced steaks performed better than the protein-enhanced steaks for lean color, fat color, aerobic plate count, lipid oxidation, percent purge, cook yield, and Warner-Bratzler shear force. It should be noted that for protein-enhanced steaks, lean color and cook yield, although statistically different, did perform similar to phosphate-enhanced steaks.