Non-Meat Ingredients
13. Binders and extenders
– compounds that will increase binding properties (water
and/or fat) or reduce overall cost
– in general, are limited to 3.5% but there are many
exceptions
– more is permitted in “non-specific” products such as loaf
products “pickle and pimento”, “olive” or other “non-specific”
named products
– may also use greater levels if the product is not named in
traditional fashion i.e. Veggie Dogs, or is labeled “artificial”
– large number of very different compounds
Functions
1. improve emulsion/batter stability
2. increase yields
3. improve slicing properties
4. may function as flavor components
– hydrolized proteins
5. allow for reduced fat products
Generally classified as:
– protein products
– carbohydrates
– hydrocolloids and gums
Some specific binders and extenders
– cereals / grain products
– usually flours (wheat, corn, oat, rye)
– about 50% carbohydrates and significant protein
– oat fiber has gotten a lot of attention because of its’
positive health image --- also a good water binder
– limited to 3.5% except mustard flour (1%) (significant
protein content, new concerns as an allergen)
– starches
– corn, tapioca, potato
– excellent water binders
– usually soften texture also
– especially useful in low-fat products
– dried milk products
– generally very good for flavor
– non-fat dry milk
– traditional milk product for sausage use
– must be calcium-reduced form
– dried whey and hydrolized whey protein is
becoming common
– relatively inexpensive with good binding and flavor
properties
– caseinate
– milk protein
– very effective binder but relatively expensive
– gelatin
– from collagen
– utilized as a cold-set gel used in jellied products
and canned products
– now see gelatin in some low fat products where it
is not normally permitted
– labeled as “ingredient not found in regular….”
– not permitted in regular sausage or loaves
– gelatin quality
– “bloom” value
– up to 200
– higher values give greater clarity and viscosity
– collagen
– previously considered a problem in all cases
– more recently, finely chopped or powdered
collagen has been found to be a good binder and
collagen may see more use
– soy protein
– tremendous amount of development and
improvement in soy proteins
– available as:
– flour
- 50 - 70% protein
– concentrate - 70 - 90% protein
– isolate
- 90 + % protein
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most are around 98-99%
limited to 2.0% in meat products (rather than 3.5%)
isolate has the least “beany” flavor
most common soy product in meat
– all soy proteins need to be rehydrated with water before
adding them to a meat system because soy does not
rehydrate well with salt
– soy can be texturized to give fiber-like texture and
increase textural properties when added to products
– carrageenan
– extracted from seaweed
– excellent water binder
– forms thermally reversible gels
– heat to 65 - 70oC (150oF) to “melt”, gels when cooled
– mixing/dispersion is critical
– does not dissolve
– does not absorb water well with 3% or more salt
– 3 forms of carrageenan
– kappa
– hard and brittle gels
– lambda
– affects viscosity but does not form a firm gel
– iota
– elastic, springy gel
– most applicable to meat product uses
– xanthan gum
– most effective for increasing viscosity (thickness)
of gravies, stews, etc.
– good for maintaining freeze/thaw stability in meat
products - or in pickled products where proteins
can soften from acid
– enzyme/protein binders
– transglutaminase (TG)
– Ajinomoto
– enzyme which crosslinks proteins i.e. “glues pieces
together”
– links covalent bonds between glutamine and lysine amino
acids --- strong enough that the bonds are unaffected by
heat or physical force (aids in slicing)
– used for binding muscle pieces together such as hams,
tenderloins, etc.
– active over pH range of 4 - 9 (best at 6 -7)
– inactivated by 70 - 75oC (160 - 170oF)
– enzyme/protein binders TG (continued)
– widely distributed in nature
– plants, animals, humans
– calcium dependent
– reacts well with casein, soy, myosin, collagen
– often include caseinate in meat restructuring to help
bind surfaces
– Fibrimex
– trade name for a binding system using blood
clotting factors (fibrinogen (I), prothrombin (II),
etc.)
– works in similar fashion as TG but somewhat less
convenient because two ingredients are used
Non meat proteins
– Reduce cost/fat content
– Up to 2% soy isolate can go into ingredients
list without other label changes
– Structural, textured forms and unstructured
(gel-like) forms available
Causes of Food Allergies
– Allergens are proteins
– Only a few proteins are allergens
– Allergy = abnormal immune system response to
specific protein
– Antibodies (IgE) cause release of histamine and
other compounds which induce allergy response
system
– Categories of allergies
– Immediate
– Delayed
Allergens
– Cause severe, potentially life-threatening reactions in
some individuals
– Labels are informative but:
– Cross-contamination of equipment, rework and other
processing problems can result in inadvertent inclusion of
an allergen
– Awareness and careful control with Good Manufacturing
Practices is the processor’s responsibility
– Collective listing or spices, flavors, colors are not
comprehensive
– Processing aids may not be included
The “Big Eight” Causes of
Food Allergies
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Milk products
Eggs
Fish
Crustaceans
Peanuts
Tree nuts
Cereal glutens
Soybeans
Less Common Allergens
– Potentially used in meat products
– Papain
– Spices
– Anise, fennel, coriander, cumin
– Yellow mustard
– Mustard flour
Practices for Allergen Control
– Review all formulations and labels
– Use common language
– “milk protein” rather than “caseinate”
– Clarify spices, flavorings, colorings
– Include “processing aids” if used
– Apply Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s)
for allergen control / HACCP-like approach
– Equipment use and cleanup
– Rework
– Supplier information and control
– Employee training and awareness