Presalting effects on water retention of pork and beef batters

Presalting effects were studied by measuring cooking loss as a function of chopping time for pork and beef batters. Presalting (ground meat/salt/water = 100/3/20, by weight, 24h) as compared with direct salting in the chopper, substantially reduced the cooking loss of pork batters, but only when the batters were relatively coarsely chopped. With more extensive chopping (exceeding 10–15 min at low chopper speed) no presalting effects were found, indicating that salt diffusion, protein dissolution and myofibril swelling were completed also in control batters salted in the chopper. Presalting of beef had a much weaker, although similar, effect on water retention properties.The practical implications are that presalting may help in reducing cooking loss of coarsely comminuted sausages, particularly pork products. Presalting, however, has no beneficial effect on finely comminuted, bowlchopper-produced sausages.