MARKETING AND PRODUCTS Effect of Sodium Tripolyphosphate in the Presence and Absence of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Chloride on Water Retention Properties and Shear Resistance of Chicken Breast Meat LOUIS L. YOUNG and B. G. LYON USDA, ARS, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 5677, Athens, Georgia 30613 (Received for publication June 11, 1985)
1986 Poultry Science 65:898-902
INTRODUCTION
Polyphosphates have a marked effect on the characteristics of meat and poultry products. They help to stabilize color and flavor (Tims and Watt, 1958; Urbain et al., 1968; Farr and May, 1970); they improve yield and texture of the product (Klose et al, 1963; Thomson, 1964; Farr and May, 1970); they help to ameliorate toughness in poultry meat that is deboned while in a prerigor state, and they improve water-holding and emulsification characteristics of ground meats (Hamm and Grau, 1955; Regenstein and Rank Stamm, 1979; Farr and May, 1970; Regenstein et al., 1979). These effects on meat and poultry can be accounted for, in part, by the elevated pH and ionic strengths of aqueous polyphosphate solutions, but there is evidence of a specific interaction between the polyphosphates and some of the muscle proteins (Hellendorn, 1962; Yasui et al, 1964). The interaction between polyphosphates and muscle proteins is not well characterized, even though it has been extensively studied. Research data indicate that the polyphosphates sequester some divalent cations such as Ca'* and Mg , and that this effect contributes to the effect of polyphosphate on the water retention
properties of meat (Hamm and Grau, 1955). Other data indicate that actomyosin is dissociated in the presence of polyphosphates into components that are more soluble and have greater water-holding capacities (WHC) than undissociated actomyosin (Yasui et al., 1964; Sherman, 1961). More recent data indicate that the polyphosphates might interact with low levels of divalent cations, and that in ground chicken breast, this interaction affects the relationship between the polyphosphates and muscle proteins (Regenstein et al, 1979; Regenstein and Rank Stamm, 1979). The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effects of the interaction between sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaC^), and polyphosphates on the water retention and shear resistance characteristics of ground chicken breast and to determine whether these interactions affect the quality of intact chicken breast tissue.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Samples. The chicken samples used in these experiments were obtained as a single lot of 44 fresh whole broiler carcasses from a local processor. Carcass weights were between 1020 and
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ABSTRACT The effects of sodium tripolyphosphate (TP) in the presence and absence of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) on water retention and shear resistance characteristics of postrigor chicken breast meat were evaluated. The TP and especially TP + NaCl increased the water-holding capacity and protein solubility of ground tissue. Calcium chloride reduced these effects if NaCl was absent. Intact muscle pieces that were marinated in TP or TP + NaCl absorbed more marinade than those that were marinated in H 2 0 . Pieces that were marinated in TP solution had a greater cooked yield than those that were not. The TP-treated pieces were also more tender than those that were not treated with TP, but the differences were probably not great enough to be of practical significance. These data may be of benefit to food processors interested in using polyphosphates to improve the quality of poultry products. (Key words: polyphosphate, water-holding capacity, tenderness)
TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE AND BREAST MEAT
was used for all samples. After centrifugation, the supernatants were discarded and the centrifuge tubes inverted for 1 hr. Then the precipitate and tubes were weighed. Net weight of the precipitate was determined by difference. The precipitate was analyzed for protein as Kjeldahl N x 6.25 (AOAC, 1980). Initially, moisture was also determined, but it soon became clear that as the precipitates consisted almost entirely of protein and H 2 0 , the moisture could be reliably estimated as 100% minus percent protein, so the latter method was subsequently used for all samples. The WHC was evaluated as, WHC = grams H 2 0 in precipitate/grams protein in precipitate. The percent insoluble protein was evaluated as Insoluble protein = 100 X total grams protein in precipitate total grams of protein in slurry Experiment 2. The intact chicken breast samples were thawed overnight at 4 C and the Pectoralis majors were separated from the Pectoralis minors. The latter were discarded. The remaining muscles were weighed (initial weight). Then the pieces were marinated in one of eight solutions: water, .08 M TP, .02 M NaCl, .08 M TP + .2 M NaCl, .6 mM CaCl 2 , .2 M NaCl + 6 mM CaCl 2 , .08 M TP + 6 mM CaCl 2 , or .08 M TP + .2 M NaCl + 6 mM CaCl 2 . This concentration of TP was selected for the marinade, because greater concentrations sometimes affected flavor but lesser amounts might not have been effective. Three breast pieces were marinated without agitation in polyethylene bags containing 1000 ml of each solution. The marinade solutions and breast pieces were prechilled to 4 C and held at that temperature while being marinated. After 24 hr, the samples were removed from the solutions, patted dry with a paper towel, and weighed (precooked weight). They were tempered for 1 hr at room temperature after they were removed from the solutions and then roasted uncovered on wire racks at 177 C to an end point of 80 to 81 C. Internal temperature of each piece was monitored with a dial-scale thermometer inserted into the center of the breast. Total cooking times was 45 to 48 min, depending on the size of the piece. After cooking, the samples were covered with aluminum foil and cooled to room temperature. The pieces were weighed (cooked
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1134 g (2.25 and 2.50 lb). They were held overnight on ice to ensure that they were all postrigor. The Pectoralis major and Pectoralis minor muscles were dissected together from each bird. Adhering fat and connective tissue were removed. Part of the samples was randomly selected, packaged as 500-g batches, and frozen in polyethylene bags. The remainder was ground twice through a 3/16-in (3.8-mm) plate. The ground product was thoroughly mixed, sampled for proximate analysis, and frozen in 500-g batches in polyethylene bags. All frozen samples were held at —29 C until needed (no longer than 21 days). Proximate Analysis. The AOAC (1980) methods were used to determine moisture, fat, protein, and ash in the ground breast meat. Experiment 1. The WHC and insoluble protein in the ground chicken breast were evaluated in triplicate using different solvents. The solvents used were water, 8.2 mM sodium tripolyphosphate (TP), .2 M NaCl, 8.2 m M T P + .02 M NaCl, 4 mM CaCl 2) .2 M NaCl + 4 mM CaCl 2 , 8.2 mM TP + 4 mM CaCl2, and 8.2 mM TP + .2 M NaCl + 4 mM CaCl2. These concentrations of NaCl and TP were selected because they are typical of the concentrations of these salts sometimes used in poultry processing. This concentration of CaCl2 was selected because it was the maximum concentration which would not cause precipitation of the TP. Water-Holding Capacity and Insoluble Protein. The WHC and insoluble protein content of the ground breast meat were determined by blending 25 g of sample with 125 ml of prechilled solvent for 2 min in a Sorvall Omnimixer operating at maximum speed. The blender cup was immersed in ice. This ratio of meat to solvent was selected so that limited availability of H 2 0 and excessive sample viscosity would not interfere with the WHC tests. The blended slurries were stored at 4 C for 30 min. Subsamples of the slurries were centrifuged at 109,663 X g for 30 min using pretared centrifuge tubes. This high centrifugal force was used because preliminary experiments indicated that when lower forces were used, the WHC varied considerably with rate of centrifugation. The WHC values were minimal at this force and did not change appreciably at higher forces. Minimal WHC values could be obtained with less viscous samples using the lower rates of centrifugation but not with highly viscous samples; thus, the higher rate of centrifugation
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weight) and evaluated for moisture/protein ratio and shear resistance. Marinade Absorption. Absorption of marinade by the raw breast pieces was evaluated as,
observed, the treatment means were separated by Duncan's multiple range test as described by Steel and Torrie (1960). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Marinade absorption = 100 x (precooked weight — initial weight)
%.
initial weight
(cooked weight) Yield = 100 X • • • , r-f— %. initial weight Moisture/Protein Ratio. Moisture and protein in the roasted breast muscles were determined by toluene extraction and Kjeldahl N X 6.25, respectively. The AOAC (1980) procedures were followed for both analyses. The results were expressed as grams H 2 0/grams protein. Shear Resistance. The shear resistance of the cooked breast pieces was evaluated on a longitudinal strip, cut parallel to the fibers from the center of each muscle. Both inner and outer layers of the muscle were included in the strip. The strip was 12 x 25 mm in cross section. Each strip was sheared twice with a WarnerBratzler shear press. The results for each piece were expressed as mean kilograms of force required to shear the pieces. Statistical Analysis. Data for each parameter were analyzed using the SAS analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure described by Barr et al. (1979). Each solvent was treated as a main effect. In cases where statistically significant (P<.05) treatment (solvent) variances were
TABLE 1. Effect of sodium trip olyphosphate (TP) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) in the presence and absence of sodium chloride (NaCl) on the water-holding capacity (WHC) and percentage of insoluble protein in ground chicken breast Insoluble protein
WHC Solvent
No NaCl
.2M NaCl
No NaCl
2M NaCl
67.6ab 594bc 70.2 a 54.8 C
57.0 C 41.6 d 57.1bc 42. l d
(g H 2 0/g protein) H20 8.2mMTP 4.0 mM CaCl2 8.2 mM TP + 4.0 mAf CaCl2
f
3.5 4.7de 4.0 e f 5.5cd
5.7C 10.7 a 5.1cd 7.7 b
Values of the same parameter with the same superscripts do not differ significantly (P<.05).
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Cooked Yield. The yield of cooked product was evaluated as,
The proximate composition of the raw breast samples was typical (Watt and Merrill, 1963). Samples contained 74.0% moisture, 2.1% fat, 23.2% protein, and 1.2% ash. Experiment 1. Both TP and NaCl increased the WHC of the ground breast (Table 1). There also appears to have been a synergistic effect between TP and NaCl, because the WHC of the samples that were tested with both TP and NaCl had considerably greater WHC than those that were treated with one salt only. When compared to corresponding solutions without CaCl2, CaCl2 had no effect on WHC either alone or, if it was tested, in combination with either TP or NaCl alone. However, the samples that were tested with CaCl2, in the presence of both TP and NaCl, had higher WHC values than those that were tested with only TP, NaCl, CaCl2, TP + CaCl 2 , or NaCl + CaCl2, but these samples had lower WHC values than those that were tested with TP + NaCl. It appears from these data that CaCl2 reduces, but does not eliminate, the beneficial effect of TP on WHC when NaCl is also present but has no effect if either the NaCl or the TP are absent. The effect of TP and NaCl on percentage of insoluble protein in ground chicken breast was similar to their effects on WHC. Sodium chloride and TP significantly decreased the percentage of insoluble protein. Calcium chloride had little effect on this property regardless of whether or not the samples were tested with CaCl2 in the presence of TP or TP + NaCl.
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It appears from these data, that TP and NaCl increase the WHC and protein solubility in ground chicken breast meat but that CaCl2 affects WHC only when both TP and NaCl are also present. These data are insufficient to determine the physical cause of these relationships. Perhaps they are related to the known interactions between Ca and myofibrillar proteins (Weber, 1970) or to interactions among the salts or between the salts and other muscle constituents. This question awaits further study. Experiment 2, Both TP and NaCl increased the marinade absorption by the raw breast pieces (Table 2). The CaCl2 had no significant effect on this property regardless of whether or not NaCl or TP were also in the solution; however, there was a small, though statistically significant, increase in absorption by breast pieces that were marinated in solutions that contained CaClj if both NaCl and TP were also present. This effect cannot easily be ascribed to the effect of CaCl2 on ionic strength of the solutions, because the contribution of this low concentration of CaCl2 to ionic strength was only .02, and the contributions of TP and NaCl were much greater. Ang et al. (1982) have reported that Ca* uniquely migrates through chicken muscle tissues during storage. Perhaps, in moving through the tissues, the Ca also affects the permeability of the muscle in such a way that the NaCl and TP became more effective in increasing moisture absorption. The weight gains by the marinated breast muscle were not completely carried through the cooking process. The yields of all TP-treated breasts were greater than those which were not treated with TP; however, the NaCl treatment showed no effect either alone or in combination with TP. The increase in weight gain affected by the CaCl2 in the presence of NaCl and TP was completely lost during roasting. It is interesting to note that the muscle pieces marinated in NaCl + CaCl2 yielded more cooked product than those marinated in CaCl2 or NaCl solution alone. There is no obvious explanation for this difference, since it occurred only when NaCl, but not NaCl + TP, was in the marinade. The moisture/protein ratio data largely confirm the cooked yield data. Sodium tripolyphosphate, but not NaCl or CaCl2, increased the yield by increasing the amount of moisture retained in the tissues during cooking.
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Experiments 1 and 2 indicate that the effects of TP, NaCl, and CaCl2 on chicken breast may depend on whether one is dealing with intact or ground tissues. Grinding the tissues partially ruptures the muscle cells and disrupts the contractile apparatus; thus, the interactions between cell constituents and added salts may vary greatly between ground and intact meat systems. Furthermore, the abilities of salts to penetrate are undoubtedly affected by pieces or particle size. Further study is needed to understand both the effects of various salts on individual constituents within muscle tissues and also the factors affecting the permeability of salts into muscle tissues. REFERENCES Ang, C.Y.W., D. Hamm, and G. K. Searcy, 1982. Changes in nutrient content during chill holding of ice packed and deep chilled poultry. J. Food Sci. 47:1763-1766. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 1980. Official Methods of Analysis, 13th ed. Assoc. Offic. Anal. Chem., Washington, DC. Barr, A. J., J. H. Goodnight, J. P. Sail, and J. T. Helwig, 1979. A User's Guide to SAS 79. SAS Inst., Raleigh, NC. Fair, A. J., and K. N. May, 1970. The effect of polyphosphates and sodium chloride on cooking
yields and oxidative stability of chicken. Poultry Sci. 4 9 : 2 6 8 - 2 7 5 . Hamm, R., and R. Grau, 1955. The effect of phosphates on the water binding of meat. Deut. Lubensm. Rundschau 51:106—111. Hellendorn, R. W., 1962. Water binding capacity of meat as affected by phosphates. 1. Influence of sodium chloride and phosphates on the water retention of contaminated meat at various pH values. FoodTechnol. 16:119-124. Klose, A. A., A. A. Campbell, and H. E. Hanson, 1963. Influence of polyphosphates in chilling water on quality of poultry meat. Poultry Sci. 42:743 — 749. Regenstein, J. R., T. S. Gorimar, and J. W. Sherbon, 1979. Measuring the water holding capacity of natural actomysin from chicken breast muscle in the presence of pyrophosphate and divalent cations. J. Food Biochem. 3:205—211. Regenstein, J. R., and J. Rank Stamm, 1979. The effect of sodium pyrophosphate and of divalent cations on the water capacity of pre- and postrigor chicken breast muscle. J. Food Biochem. 3: 213-221. Sherman, P., 1961. The water binding capacity of fresh pork. 1. The influence of sodium chloride, pyrophosphate and polyphosphate on water absorption. FoodTechnol. 15:79—87. Steel, R.G.D., and J. H. Torrie, 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, NY. Thomson, J. E., 1964. Effect of polyphosphates on oxidative deterioration of commercially cooked fryer chickens. Food Technol. 18:1805-1806. Tims, M. J., and B. M. Watt, 1958. Protection of cooked meats with polyphosphates. Food Technol. 12:240-243. Urbain, W. M., G. G. Griddings, P. S. Belo, andW. W. Ballantyne, 1968. Radiation pasteurization of fresh meats and poultry. USAEC Div. Technol., Inf. Bull. COO 1689-2. Watt, B. K., and A. Merrill, 1963. Composition of Foods. US Dept. Agric, Agric. Handbook No. 8. Weber, A., 1970. The dependence of relaxation on the saturation of myosin with adenosin triphosphate. In Physiology and Biochemistry of Muscle as Food. E. J. Briskey, R. G. Cassens, and B. B. Marsh, ed. Univ. Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI. Yasui, T., K. Fukawaza, M. Takahoshi, M. Sakanishi, and Y. Hashimoto, 1964. Specific interaction of inorganic polyphosphates with myosin B. J. Agric. Food Chem. 12:349-404.
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There were statistically significant differences among the shear resistance values, but the differences were not great enough to be of practical significance; moreover, previous experience has shown that none of these samples would be considered tough by a consumer. D. Hamm (personal communication) reports that polyphosphates greatly aid in tenderizing prerigor deboned poultry. Our data do not show a great tenderizing effect due to TP, but our samples were deboned postrigor. Experiments to evaluate toughness in poultry that is deboned prerigor and then is treated with TP, NaCl, and CaCl2 might be useful.