Modification and simplification of Rongey's method for measurement of meat batter stability

The method of Rongey for assessment and quantification of meat batter/emulsion stability has over the years proven useful to many research and industrial laboratories around the world. Unfortunately, its requirement for specialized glassware and a very large centrifugation unit makes the method inaccessible to many modern laboratories. We have, therefore, modified Rongey's original method by adapting it to present-day commercially-available glassware and centrifugation equipment. This modified method was validated by comparing it to Rongey's method on both high-fat (27%) and low-fat (10%) finely comminuted pork batters, each with and without the addition of salt (1.8%) and sodium phosphates (0.5%). This design provided us with batters ranging in stability from very low to very high, thus allowing us to compare the methods across analytical extremes. This modified method:•Utilizes glassware and centrifugation equipment that are commercially-available today.•Maintains the simplicity and speed of the original method of Rongey.•Yields results that are comparable to those of Rongey's traditional method.