Meat+Poultry - November 2017 - 26

INGREDIENT ISSUES

Purge and cook loss can be
minimized in whole muscle
meats when water-binding
ingredients are added via
industrial marinades.

"As the global
population
continues to
rise, so does
the demand
for phosphates
in food and
beverage
processing."
- LARRY ESPOSITO

MEAT+ POULTRY | 11.17 | www.meatpoultry.com

Smithfield Foods

26

Meat and poultry processors may want
to think twice about ditching these multifunctional ingredients. Instead, to appease the
label-reading consumer, focus on other product
attributes, such as the use of local ingredients,
animal treatment and farm-to-fork traceability,
along with complete transparency.
"As the global population continues to rise,
so does the demand for phosphates in food
and beverage processing," says Larry Esposito,
business vice president, food and beverage,
pharma, and nutrition and infrastructure,
Xingfa USA Corp., Schaumburg, Illinois. "In
fact, according to Global Market Insights, the
global food phosphate market is expected to
cross $2.4 billion by 2024, as forecast by strong
growth indicators in dairy, bakery, beverage
and meat processing."
Xingfa is a global leader in specialty
phosphates manufacturing, serving more
than 50 countries for more than 30 years. The
company owns and operates phosphate rock
mines and derivative manufacturing plants;
thus, it has complete control over the entire
supply chain, from rock to ingredient. Its plants
rely on hydropower stations, making the fully
traceable ingredients also highly sustainable.
"Meat processors rely on an array of
phosphates for different functions, most
notably moisture retention," Esposito says.

"For example, tetrasodium
pyrophosphate (TSPP) is
commonly used as a water
binder in meats. It also
stabilizes pigment and prevents
fat corruption."
The different forms of
phosphates differ significantly
in two important properties:
solubility in water and pH
impact, according to Sebranek.
"Solubility can range from
about 10 grams per 100 grams
of water to over 100 grams per
100 grams of water," he says.
"Solubility can be an important
consideration for specific
applications, particularly for
preparation of brines to be
used for injected products.
"Limited solubility can
also result in phosphate
precipitation in processed
meats after cooking and chilling, resulting
in a sandy texture or even in hard, glass-like
crystals," Sebranek says. "The pH of different
phosphates can range from about pH 5.0 to over
pH 10.0. Most are about pH 7.0 or higher."
Phosphates increase the water-binding
capacity of proteins by raising their pH. Higher
pH opens up fibrous proteins, allowing moisture
migration, which the proteins grab onto. This
binding of water increases yields. The proteins
also are better able to retain marinade and cook
juices, thereby reducing purge and assuring that
meat is succulent once cooked.
"Sodium and potassium phosphates are
common ingredients in many enhanced
meat and poultry products," says Barbara
Heidolph, director of technology, technical
service and development, Innophos Inc.,
Cranbury, New Jersey. "They modify the pH and
directly interact with the muscle, specifically
with the myofibrillar proteins, to dissociate
the acto-mysosin complex cross-bridges,
unraveling the protein structure. They also
interact synergistically with the salt to create
a net negative charge, which, by electrostatic
repulsion, drives away the already dissociated
actin and myosin. This effect creates more
charged sites for marinade or flavor to bind.
This action improves the succulence and savory
characteristics of meat and poultry products.
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Meat+Poultry - November 2017

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