The effects of meat protein substitution (2%) with sodium caseinate, milk protein isolates or whey protein isolates (WPI) at varying levels of meat protein (13–15%) were studied in emulsified beef meat batters prepared with canola oil (25%). Increasing meat protein to 14 and 15% resulted in less stable emulsions (higher cook loss) compared with the 13% protein. At an equal protein level, all dairy proteins reduced cook loss (P < 0.05) compared with the all meat protein treatments. Overall, WPI provided the best emulsifying and moisture retention. Increasing the protein content also resulted in higher hardness and springiness values in all treatments. The addition of dairy protein resulted in softer, lighter and less red products compared with the all meat controls; colors being affected by the dairy protein source and protein content. Light microscopy revealed that increasing protein content caused some fat globule coalescence and more protein aggregation. WPI formed distinct dairy protein gel regions within the meat batter matrix, which appeared to interact with meat protein matrix.
n/a