Injection of sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, and sodium lactate improves Warner-Bratzler shear and sensory characteristics of pre-cooked inside round roasts

Paired inside rounds (n = 30 pairs) were removed from randomly selected USDA Select quality grade carcasses to examine the effects of injecting a solution of sodium lactate, sodium tripolyphosphate, and sodium chloride on Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss, lipid oxidation, and sensory characteristics of pre-cooked beef. Injected treatments were more tender (P<0.05) than control products, as measured by Warner-Bratzler shear force and consumer sensory panel ratings. Injected treatments had lower (P<0.01) cooking and re-heating loss percentages when compared to control samples. Lipid oxidation in injected treated samples was significantly reduced as compared to control meat samples. Results of lipid oxidation also revealed that 14-day samples were less (P<0.01) than 0-day samples. Results of this experiment have shown that injection of this solution enhanced sensory panel characteristics, and decreased WBS values and cooking loss. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.