RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BINDING QUALITY OF MEAT AND MYOFIBRILLAR PROTEINS V. Effect of 'Setting' and Pyrophosphate on Rheological Properties of Heated Minced-Meat Gel

‘Setting’ was observed in minced hen meat stored with 3.5% wt/wt added NaCl. When gels were made from the ‘set’ sol the breaking energy was greatly increased and the relaxation modulus was characterized by a wide ‘quasi-equilibrium’ region. The effect of added pyrophosphate on the rheological properties of the gel prepared at pH 6.0 from ground ‘set’ sol was very similar to that previously observed for ATP in gels prepared at pH 6.0 from ‘unset’ sols. When pyrophosphate or ATP were added at pH 7.0 to the ‘unset’ minced meat sol, the strain at the breaking point and the ratio of the equilibrium to the instantaneous modulus of the heated gel were increased. A comparison with previous results from a model system suggests that pyrophosphate brings about a change in gel structure by dissociating ‘myosin B’ into myosin A and F-actin.