Influence of Salt on the Texture of Meat Gels

Abstract

The influence of salt concentration and type of edible salt on the texture of meat gels was examined. It was found that every gel’s water holding capacity increased with salt concentration, although the change in gel strength with salt concentration differed depending on the meat gel. When the type of edible salt was varied, it was found that the purity of edible salt affected the firmness and yield of beef gel, but hardly affected the firmness, yield, or density of either chicken or pork gel. Therefore, the addition of salt prevents the separation of fat and the elution of gravy in any meat. It was found that the addition of salt to pork gel produced a soft texture, while adding it to chicken gel resulted in an elastic texture akin to that of kamaboko. Adding it to beef gel, however, did not affect the texture.