Effects of high pressure level and holding time on properties of duck muscle gels containing 1% curdlan

The effect of high pressure processing (HPP) on properties of duck muscle gels (DMG) containing 1% curdlan was investigated. The application of >300 MPa could result in the decrease of cooking loss of DMG in water binding capacity, the increase of L value and the decrease of a value and b value in color, the increase of hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness in textural parameters (P<0.05), while the pressure-holding time had no obvious influence. Those experimental results could be attributed to the interactions among protein molecules and the interactions between protein molecules and curdlan molecules created or enhanced by HPP. Overall, the use of curdlan instead of fat and the application of HPP may provide a novel approach to achieve low-fat (<6% fat) and low-salt (1% salt) DMG products with good properties and high yields. Industrial relevance: To provide healthier meat foods like low-fat (<6% fat) and low-salt (about 1% salt) duck meat products, the application of HPP might be of great interest for industrial manufacture and can yield the products bearing high water binding capacity and good textural properties. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.