Impact of food structure on the compatibility of heated WPI–pectin-complexes in meat dispersions

Abstract

Process-stable complexes composed of whey protein isolate (WPI) and sugar beet pectin have great potential as structuring agents or fat replacers in foods. The current study investigates the compatibility of heated WPI : pectin complexes in different meat matrices. Spreadable raw-fermented sausages and sliceable emulsion-type sausages were therefore manufactured containing biopolymer complexes with various WPI : pectin ratios r (2 : 1, 8 : 1). Macro- and microstructural properties of the meat dispersions were analyzed in terms of colour, texture, rheometry, sensory, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) measurements. Textural and sensorial results demonstrated that the meat products became increasingly soft and yellowish as the biopolymer ratio r was increased regardless of the meat matrix, whereas pH and water activity values were not affected. CLSM images revealed that the meat protein network became disrupted and loose in the presence of pectin, which was attributed to a thermodynamic incompatibility effect. The results obtained from this study highlight that biopolymer complexes might be suitable fat mimetics, particularly for spreadable meat products.

Usage of in situ exopolysaccharide‐forming lactic acid bacteria in food production: Meat products—A new field of application?

“…This has, for example, been observed in emulsified sausages to which pectins were added. Above a critical pectin concentration, the typically solid and sliceable boiled sausages turned into purely viscoelastic materials that could, for example, be spread on a slice of bread (Zeeb et al., 2018; Zeeb, Herz, Kinne, Herrmann, & Weiss, 2016). This is because pectins had phase separated to form small pectin‐rich microdomains in the sausage matrix disrupting the previously continuous protein microstructure.…”

Segregation Behavior of Polysaccharide–Polysaccharide Mixtures—A Feasibility Study

“…Processed food products often contain a number of different food biopolymers that can interact with each other through a variety of different forces, which leads to a diverse range of microstructural organizations and physicochemical properties [1,2,3,4,5]. Careful manipulation of these interactions can therefore be used to create foods with novel or improved functional attributes [6,7].…”