Prolink MB-MM, Binder for Restructured Meat

Restructured meat technology originated in the 1960s and involves using mechanical processes to restructured various inexpensive cuts into new structural forms. This technology is advantages for increasing the utilization of minced meat, enhancing the value and edibility of products, particularly tenderness, and flavor. Restructured meat has become a widely accepted new product, seen in items like meat patties in hamburgers, common steaks, and lamb chops. The recombination of low-cost minced meat through trimming can also elevate the economic value of products.

Overview of Restructured Meat Products

Restructured meat bonding techniques generally include two types, with the more common being the thermal coagulation technique. This involves adding substances containing salts to make myofibrillar proteins in the muscle precipitate. Heating is then applied to form a protein gel under high-temperature conditions, achieving the purpose of recombination. The other type is the cold coagulation technique, which involves achieving recombination in minced meat under low-temperature conditions using enzymes, binders, and mechanical external force. One advantage is the reduction of added salt substances.

In the progress of cold coagulation research, the earliest binder used was transglutaminase (TG enzyme), an enzyme produced by microorganisms. As a binder, TG enzyme achieves minced meat recombination by catalyzing the covalent cross-linking of protein molecules. In the meat product markets of developed countries, restructured meat products hold a considerable proportion. According to processing methods and the degree of segmentation, restructured meat can generally be classified into three categories: forming processing of large muscle, forming processing of small muscle, and forming processing of sliced muscle. Product forms mainly include steaks, ribs, grilled meat, etc. Based on the bonding mechanism of Restructured meat, the technology can be classified into chemical processing, enzyme processing, and physical processing.

However, due to the high cost of transglutaminase, restructured meat cannot be produced on a large scale. Therefore, the development of new binders has become a trend. This article reviews the development of binders in Restructured meat in recent years, both domestically and internationally, and looks forward to future trends.

Research and Application of Binders in Restructured Meat

In the early stages, salt was considered the main active ingredient in Restructured meat processing. Salt has some preservative effects and can be used to extract salt-soluble myofibrillar proteins from muscle, especially myosin and actin, which have high viscosity and can enhance the cohesion between meat chunks. However, due to the direct relationship between sodium salt and diseases such as hypertension, consumers tend to prefer low-salt products.

The development of new binders has become a trend. TG enzyme was the earliest binder used because of its functionality in catalyzing the covalent cross-linking of protein molecules, making it suitable for Restructured technology.

Prolink MB-MM, Binder for Restructured Meat

Prolink MB-MM Series are enzymatic preparations based on transglutaminase enzyme (TG). Prolink MB-MM Series TG solutions are specifically developed for restructured meat products from ACE Ingredient transglutaminase manufacturer, where it efficiently links fresh meat pieces and improves the quality of meat raw materials, allowing the desired shaping according to production needs and final consumer requests. The final reformed product has perfect slice-ability and excellent slice quality.

Advantages

• Effective meat binding, strong bonds between meat and fat slices

• Reduces holes, water losses and facilitates phosphates elimination

• Improves slice-ability, reduces slice losses

• Reforms products with desired shapes

• The final reformed product can be frozen or cooked without losing shape or texture

• Halal certification recognized

For more information about transglutaminase and our products, please do not hesitate to contact our team at sales@aceingredients.com