CONSUMER EVALUATION OF SODIUM REDUCED, RESTRUCTURED LAMB ROASTS

The longissimus dorsi (LD) and psoas major (PM) muscles were removed from the racks and loins of nine lamb carcasses (18 sides). Each LD was cut in half to yield 36 pieces of each muscle. Three defatted LD pieces and one PM were randomly grouped together (4 replications) and assigned to the following treatments at 1.5% of the fresh muscle weight: (1) 100% NaCl (control); (2) 75% NaCl + 25% KCl; (3) 50% NaCl + 50% KCl. Water (5%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (.3%) were also added. Muscle pieces were tumbled for 2 h, tied into roasts, cooked and smoked. Proximate analysis results showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) among treatment groups for percentage moisture and fat. The 100% NaCl control had significantly higher (P < 0.05) cooking yields than the 50% KCl replacement treatment. A consumer sensory panel found no consistent differences among treatments for juiciness, flavor desirability, off-flavor, or overall acceptability among treatments. Consumer panel responses indicate that the low-fat (5.3–6.8%), low-sodium (455–744 mg/100g), restructured lamb roasts evaluated in this experiment would be an acceptable new processed lamb product.