Use of electrical stimulation, hot processing and carrageenan for processing low-fat ground beef patties

Three studies were conducted to determine the effects of electrical stimulation, hot processing and carrageenan usage on sensory, shear force and cooking properties of low-fat (5, 10%) beef patties. The right or left sides of beef carcasses assigned to electrical stimulation (ES) received 600 V pulsating current for 120 s. Non-stimulated (NS) sides were also included for comparisons. Sides subjected to hot processing (HP) were boned 90 min post-exsanguination. Cold processing (CP) was initiated 48 h post mortem. Formulations for the manufacture of patties included the use of carrageenan [none, 0.5% iota (L), 0.5% kappa (re)]. Patties from NSHP beef had higher pH and cooking yields, less shrink in patty dimensions during cooking and lower shear force values than patties from NSCP controls (P < 0.05). ES improved tenderness and juiciness of CP patties, while ESHP patties exhibited higher cooking yields than NSCP patties. Tenderness was improved in two of the three studies as a result of increasing the fat content from 5 to 10%. Use of L-carrageenan provided improvements in tenderness and juiciness over patties receiving no carrageenan or kappa-carrageenan. Processors should consider HP with 1.0% added salt (improved cooking yields, patty configuration, tenderness) and the use of L-carrageenan (improved tenderness and juiciness) for low-fat beef patties.