2.

3 Ingredients used in processing of meat products

2.3.1 Non meat Ingredients

2.3.1.1 Salt (Sodium Chloride)

Principle function of salt is to, solubilize and extract the myofibrilla protein needed to form a bind
during cooking. By dehydrating and altering osmotic pressure, salt inhibits bacterial growth and
subsequent spoilage. Other than that it maintains taste of the final product

2.3.1.2 Nitrite salt (NaNO2)

However salt is used along with curing salts (NaNO 3, NaNO2) which stabilize the cured color and
flavor, inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum and retard development of rancidity. In order to
fix the color of the meat, the nitrite must convert in to nitric oxide which actually combines with
myoglobin to form a pink- red nitrosylmyoglobin or pigment of cured meat. Conversion of nitrite in
to nitric oxide can be accelerated by adding reductants like ascorbic acid.

Myoglobin

Nitrite

Met myoglobin Ascorbate

Nitric oxide

Nitrosyl metmyoglobin

Or SH - group

Nitrosilmyoglobin

Heat

Nitrosilmyochrome
Figure 5 . Role of nitrite, ascorbate and heat in cured meat pigment formation.

Approximately 10 to 30% of the added nitrite remains intact as residual nitrite, 45% is consumed for
curing color and nitrite formation, while the reminder is involved in other actions. According to SLSI
guild lines residual amount of the finished product should not exceed 125 ppm. However usage of
nitrite has been questioned, as it reacts with secondary and tertiary amines in meat and produce
carcinogenic nitrosoamines.

2.3.1.3 Binders

Binders or extenders are referred to as fillers, emulsifiers or stabilizers. Those are added to, improve,
flavor, cooking yield, slicing characters, protein content, emulsion stability fat binding and water
binding and reduce the formulation cost. Binders are portentous substances which contribute to
structural, emulsifying, binding and gelling qualities as well as color and flavor of a product. Fillers
are carbohydrate products able to adsorb extensive quantities of water

E.g.: Modified corn starch, Milk powder, isolated soy protein, Rusk powder

2.3.1.4. Antioxidants

Foods, containing fats and oils, are prone to oxidative deterioration as a consequence of contact
with atmospheric oxygen during processing and storage. When oxidation occurs in food, it causes a
development of an unpleasant smell, taste and loss of nutritive value. The most effective way to
delay the onset of oxidative rancidity and to obtain the desired shelf life is addition of minute
quantities of antioxidants. BHA, BHT E300 and E301 are the antioxidants used in KFPL.

2.3.1.5 Texturized Vegetable Protein

Meat and marine products are the most desirable and prestigious source of high quality animal
protein for man. But its limited availability and high costs reduces its consumption Therefore food
industry has made a meat substitute from vegetable sources fortified with vitamins, amino acids,
etc. TVP does not alter the texture, palatability and nutritional value of meat products. Rate of
substitution varies from product to product.
2.3.1.6 Spices

E.g.: Black pepper, white pepper, chille, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, clove, coriander, nutmeg,
maze, ginger, curry powder, herbs etc.

Most of the spices add to the flavor to the product while certain spices act as antioxidants retarding
the rate of oxidative changes in processed meat products. (Onion, rosemary, sage, thyme, ginger,
black pepper, garlic, clove etc.) Cinnamon, onion, garlic and a number of other spices are able inhibit
proliferation of distinctive micro organisms.

2.3.1.7 Sweeteners (Sucrose, Dextrose, Sugar syrup etc.)

Sugar is added to meat as an adjunct to counteract the salty taste to give flavor and to serve as a
substrate tfor bacterial acid production. Browning compounds which produce due to melting of
sugar with amino acid add color and flavor to the product.

2.3.1.8 Ascorbis acid (Sodium ascorbate / Erytrobate)

Reductants react with nitrite to give nitric oxide thus fastening the development of pink red color in
cured meat products. Ascorbete apperently rapidly reduce metmyoglobin to myoglobin and
secondly reacts wih nitrite to produce nitric oxide more efficiently.

2.3.1.9 Phosphates

Phosphate salts elevate the pH of meat, thus improving it’s water binding capasity. It also acts as a
buffer and raaises the ionic strengh of he slutions while retard the devekopment of oxidative
ransidity n meat products.

E.g.: Terasodium pyrophosphate, Sodium hexametaphosphate ect..

Flovor enhancers are used to enhance the meat flovor of the processed products.

E.g.: IMP, GMP, MSG