Oil bulking agents based on polysaccharide gels in meat batters: a Raman spectroscopic study

A Raman spectroscopic study was performed to determine protein and lipid structural properties in meat batter containing oil bulking agents as pork backfat replacers. Meat batters were prepared with pork backfat (MB-PF) or with a combination of olive oil, sodium alginate, CaSO4, sodium pyrophosphate and dextrin (MB-A/D) or inulin (MB-A/I) as a fat replacer. Proximate composition, pH, cooking loss (CL), colour and texture were evaluated. MB-A/D and MB-A/I both showed lower (P<0.05) CL and a(*) values, higher (P<0.05) L(*) and b(*) values, and higher (P<0.05) hardness and chewiness. MB-A/I showed the highest hardness and chewiness. Enhancement of the β-sheet structure was observed in MB-A/D and MB-A/I, more so in MB-A/I. There was increased disorder in the oil acyl chains, which involve lipid-protein interactions, in both MB-A/D and MB-A/I. Structural characteristics in proteins and lipids may be associated with specific water and fat binding properties and textural characteristics of meat batters.