Technological characteristics of turkey breast rolls produced with fresh or thawed meat and different formulations

A study was conducted to evaluate the quality traits of turkey breast rolls prepared with fresh or thawed meat according to four product formulations. Turkey rolls (n=12/type of meat/formulation) were prepared by mixing grounded turkey breast meat (fresh or thawed) with a marinating solution prepared with equal amounts and types of water and non-meat ingredients except for one single functional ingredient: i) STPP: sodium tripolyphosphate (control group); ii) YEAST: yeast extract; iii) CARR: carrageenan; iv) COM: commercial mix containing sodium citrate, sodium carbonate, dextrose, and yeast extract. In respect with fresh meat, thawed meat determined higher cooking loss and purge loss as well as higher product firmness (higher AK-shear value, gel strength and Texture Profile Analysis parameters). As for functional ingredients, STPP and COM determined a lower fluid losses assessed by filter paper press method and purge loss as well as a superior product firmness in respect with YEAST and CARR. COM determined a darker colour in respect with STPP, CARR and YEAST (L*: 72.2 vs. 74.8 vs. 76.6 vs. 76.9, respectively; P<0.01). Overall, this study indicated that both the type of meat and functional ingredients can dramatically influence processing yield and quality characteristics of turkey rolls. Frozen breast meat could be profitably used for restructured poultry products because of the firmer texture. However, lower process yield and lower water holding capacity should be taken into account as possible drawbacks.