Calcium chloride and tricalcium phosphate effects on the pink color defect in cooked ground and intact turkey breast.

Calcium chloride (250, 500ppm) was examined for its ability to reduce the pink color defect induced by sodium nitrite (10ppm) and nicotinamide (1.0%) in cooked ground turkey in the presence and absence of sodium tripolyphosphate (0.25, 0.5%) and sodium citrate (0.5, 1.0%). The ability of tricalcium phosphate (0.1-0.5%) to reduce pink cooked color also was evaluated in ground turkey and both calcium chloride and tricalcium phosphate were tested for their effects on pink cooked color in whole breast muscle. The combination of calcium chloride and sodium tripolyphosphate, not calcium chloride alone, was necessary for a reduction in pink cooked color induced by nicotinamide. Subsequently, in the presence of phosphate, both calcium chloride and sodium citrate reduced pink cooked color and were most effective in combination. Tricalcium phosphate also was capable of reducing pink cooked color in ground turkey, however substituting tricalcium phosphate for sodium tripolyphosphate resulted in lower pH and cooking yields. Neither calcium chloride nor tricalcium phosphate was capable of reducing pink cooked color in whole turkey breast. Currently, a combination of sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium chloride, and sodium citrate represents the most suitable means for reducing or preventing the pink color defect in uncured ground turkey.

Identifying constituents of whey protein concentrates that reduce the pink color defect in cooked ground turkey.

Whey protein concentrate constituents were tested for their ability to reduce naturally occurring pink color defect and pink cooked color induced by sodium nitrite (10ppm) and nicotinamide (1.0%) in ground turkey. ß-lactoglobulin (1.8%), α-lactalbumin (0.8%), bovine serum albumin (0.15-0.3%), lactose (1.0-3.0%), potassium chloride (500-1500ppm), and ferrous iron chloride (0.3-30ppm) had no effects on cooked pink color. Lactoferrin (30-5000ppm) increased or decreased pink color depending on its concentration in samples without added sodium nitrite or nicotinamide. Annatto (0.1-1.0ppm) reduced pink color whereas the higher concentration of magnesium chloride (22-88ppm) and ferric iron chloride (0.3-30ppm) increased pink color in samples with added nicotinamide. Calcium chloride (160-480ppm) was the only tested constituent that consistently reduced pink cooked color in samples with and without added nitrite and nicotinamide. Due to the variability of whey protein concentrates and the number of constituents that do not reduce pink cooked color, the addition of calcium alone or dried milk minerals containing calcium, phosphate, and citrate, represents a better means to regularly prevent the pink color defect in cooked ground turkey.

Citric acid and sodium citrate effects on pink color development of cooked ground turkey irradiated pre- and post-cooking.

The effects of citric acid (0.15%, 0.3%) and sodium citrate (0.5%, 1.0%) on pink color development in ground turkey following irradiation (0, 2.5, 5.0kGy) were examined. Citric acid and sodium citrate had little effect on pink color when samples were irradiated prior to cooking. In contrast, when samples were cooked prior to irradiation, citric acid (0.3%) and sodium citrate (1.0%) reduced redness as indicated by eliminating a reflectance minimum at approximately 571nm, lessening greater reflectance in the red wavelength region, and preventing greater reducing conditions caused by irradiation. Citric acid significantly reduced pH and yields whereas sodium citrate reduced pH and yields to a lesser extent. Both citric acid and sodium citrate are potential ingredients that can be added during processing to prevent undesirable pink color in precooked irradiated ground turkey and therefore can result in greater acceptance of irradiated products by consumers.

Investigation of mechanisms by which sodium citrate reduces the pink color defect in cooked ground turkey.

The principal mechanism by which sodium citrate reduces the pink color defect in cooked ground turkey was investigated. Sodium citrate (SC; 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0M), sodium nitrite (0.01, 0.1M), and nicotinamide (0.5, 0.75M) were combined in solutions of bovine hemin to determine SCs ability to bind heme iron and competitively inhibit pink-color-generating ligands from binding. Additionally, the effects of sodium erythorbate (0, 275, 550ppm), ferrous iron chloride (0, 0.3, 3.0, 30ppm), and ferric iron chloride (0, 0.3, 3.0, 30ppm) on SCs ability to reduce pink cooked color was examined. Absorbance curves of hemin+nitrite and hemin+nicotinamide were relatively unaffected by SC, therefore whether or not SC bound heme iron, that did not appear to be a mechanism for inhibiting the pink color defect. Both ferrous and ferric iron chloride had minimal effects on color values, possibly due to sodium tripolyphosphate chelation ability in the meat system and thus their presence did not enhance SCs ability to reduce the pink color defect. However, sodium erythorbate, a reducing agent, inhibited SCs ability to decrease the pink color defect in samples induced pink with sodium nitrite and nicotinamide. Therefore, it appears SC requires the presence of oxygen and may participate in oxidative processes to reduce the pink color defect.

Whey protein concentrates effects on pink color development in a cooked ground turkey breast model system.

The ability of whey protein concentrates (WPCs) to reduce pink color in cooked ground turkey was investigated. Ground turkey was formulated with no ligand and nitrite and nicotinamide to induce pinking. Five WPCs with 34 or 80% protein were tested and turkey samples were cooked to 80 and 85 °C and stored for 1 and 7 days. Three WPCs reduced a* values in turkey without added nitrite or nicotinamide and one WPC reduced nitrite induced pinking. In nicotinamide-induced pink turkey, two WPCs reduced a* values and two WPCs increased pink color. Nitrosylhemochrome was reduced by two WPCs and nicotinamide hemochrome was reduced by one WPC and increased by two WPCs. Increased cooking temperatures enhanced inhibitory effects or reduced reddening effects of two WPCs. Storage time and protein content had minimal effects on pink color. Whey protein concentrates have the potential to reduce the pink defect in cooked uncured turkey, although the mechanism is unclear.