Abstract
Employing water binders in beef patties enhances juiciness and prolongs frozen shelf life. Some water binders currently used by the meat industry are considered allergenic or 'non-natural' ingredients. The objective of this study was to improve yields and minimize the warmed-over flavor using mustard meal and potato extract in pre-cooked beef patties. Water binder treatments included 1% potato extract (positive control), 1% potato extract in combination with 0.25% mustard meal extract, 1% potato extract in combination with 1% mustard extract, and no binder (negative control) added. Six batches of each treatment were made using USDA Choice boneless beef chuck shoulder clod (IMPS 114). Beef chuck was coarse ground, fine ground, mixed, and formed into 16 mm-thick patties, each weighing 151g with a fat-to-lean ratio of 84:16. Two patties from each batch were analyzed for fluid loss percentage and lipid oxidation in raw (d0), cooked (d0), frozen (d185), and reheated (d185) states. pH of the raw (d0), cooked (d0), and reheated (d185) patties were also measured. Patties containing potato and mustard meal extract reduced overall cook loss compared to the control (P < 0.001). Lipid oxidation increased in the cooking process to a greater extent in the negative control (P < 0.001). There was no binder treatment by cook status interaction for patty pH (P = 0.296). The pH was lowest in raw patties (P < 0.001). Trained taste panels indicated a difference in acceptability (P < 0.001), oxidized flavor (P < 0.001), and juiciness (P = 0.015) based on different water binder treatments. Using mustard meal extract in combination with potato extract reduces cook loss and lipid oxidation, resulting in a higher quality product. This would result in reduced food waste, increased profits, and enhanced consumer experience with pre-cooked beef patties.