Thermal and rheological properties and textural attributes of reduced-fat turkey batters

Currently, modified potato and tapioca starches are used as functional additives in formulating reduced- and low-fat frankfurters. However, cornstarches may serve as alternative sources for comminuted meat systems. Meat batters formulated with ground turkey, 2% sodium chloride, 25% distilled-deionized water (ice), and 4% starch, including acid-thinned dent corn (ATDC), cross-linked waxy maize (XLWM), cross-linked dent corn (XLDC), modified potato (MP), acid-thinned dent corn with xanthan gum (ATDCG), or modified tapioca (MT) were compared. Thermal and structural properties of the batters were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic rheological testing. Cooking loss, reheating loss, and texture profile analysis (TPA) were determined for cooked turkey batters. The DSC peak temperatures ranged from 57.5 to 74.9 C, which correlated positively to onset temperatures of the storage moduli (G') for XLWM starch. Incorporation of XLWM, XLDC, MT, or MP starch into turkey batters resulted in significant reductions in cooking and reheating losses. The TPA results showed that 9.42, 8.57, and 8.48 kg of force were required for 75% compression of cooked batter segments containing MP, XLDC, and XLWM starches, respectively. Segments prepared with ATDCG starch were the least firm and most springy of all starch-containing segments.