Meat+Poultry - April 2018 - 66

INGREDIENT ISSUES

and therefore cannot diffract light.
There's not much a meat processor can do
to prevent this shimmering effect. However,
how the meat is sliced at the deli counter
or before being packaged has an impact.
Only cuts that are sliced against the grain, or
perpendicular to the direction of the fibrous
proteins, show iridescence. Blade sharpness
may also influence the development of the
grooves that diffract the light waves. Sharper
blades produce cleaner cuts with smoother
surfaces, which are better for refracting light.

TOOLS TO PRESERVE COLOR

Nitrates and nitrites have
traditionally been added
to pork via cures. This
gives ham and bacon a
desirable pink color.

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66

oxymyoglobin oxidation. This may be managed
through the addition of antioxidants.
Another common discoloration is known
as greening. This has to do with the way light
bounces off the surface of the deli meat. It is
a phenomenon known as diffraction and may
produce an almost rainbow-like iridescent
color. Diffraction involves the fibrous strands
of protein in the meat and white light, which is
composed of a spectrum of different colors of
varying wavelengths. After meat is sliced, the
cut ends of the tightly packed strands form a
series of grooves. When light hits these grooves,
some of the light is absorbed and some of it is
diffracted. These color waves bend at different
angles, producing an iridescent effect.
Diffraction depends on the grooves being
structurally intact and perfectly aligned.
Therefore, iridescence discoloration is more
common on processed deli-style meat, which
has a firmer texture than raw meat.
This shimmer is also more noticeable
in darker cooked meats, such as roast beef
and ham. Turkey and chicken are too pale
to showcase the reflected light bends. It also
matters if the deli product is restructured or
whole muscle. In the latter, the ground and
reformed fibrous proteins are no longer aligned

Processors have many varied ingredient
technologies to assist with preserving color
in fresh and ready-to-eat meat and poultry.
Phosphates are a common and highly effective
option. They are most often used in meat
processing to improve juiciness, tenderness
and cook yields, but they may also impact
color development and maintenance in both
fresh enhanced and processed cured and noncured meat products.
There are many phosphates to choose from,
all with their unique claims to fame in meat
and poultry processing. Depending on the
desired effect, they are either used alone or in
application-specific blends for the best impact
on the finished product.
A&B Ingredients Inc., Fairfield, New Jersey,
is exploring how a dilution of a new lauric
arginate formulation improves bright color
retention in fresh meat and poultry. Derived
from natural compounds, lauric arginate has
no flavor impact and is effective at very low
usage rates.
"We recently conducted a study to explore
the benefits of using a lauric arginate solution
as a treatment for raw meat products, which
goes beyond the category of ready-to-eat meats
where it is currently used," says Gil Bakal,
managing director. "It is a low-cost option for
processors, and in many cases, requires no
label as lauric arginate is permitted in raw meat
products as a processing aid up to 200 ppm.
"Some customers have reported seeing
a benefit in ground beef applications after
spraying the beef trim," he says.
There are also several plant extracts
that have been shown to ensure appealing
color. Rosemary and green tea extracts, for
example, are proven ingredients for their
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