Functional ingredients for poultry meat products

This review deals with the main classes of functional ingredients able to modulate the ability to retain water (both “native” or added during processing) and the texture of further processed poultry meat products. Functional ingredients can be divided into those added in order to enhance functionality of muscle proteins or those with a direct functional effect on the meat system, which are added as an additional “system” to aid in the retaining of moisture or fat and modifying texture. The first group is basically consists of salts such as sodium chloride, phosphates as well as citrates and alkaline ingredients (i.e. bicarbonates), while the second one includes starches, cereal floors, vegetable hydrocolloids (i.e. carrageenans, alginates), collagen derivates, blood proteins (plasma and globin fractions), milk proteins (caseinates and whey proteins) as well as vegetable proteins (i.e. soy, pea) and fibres. This review further discusses the mechanisms of action, current status, main product applications and market trends of the use of functional ingredients in poultry meat processing.