A study on increasing the water holding capacity of retorted beef for texture softening by pre-treatment

This study was conducted to soften the tough texture of retorted beef in storage by increasing the water holding capacity (WHC) after pretreatment involving soaking and blanching in a phosphate solution. The yield of pretreated beef, based on weight as an indirect indicator of WHC, soaked in 0.35% (w/w) complex phosphates for 1 h, increased by 5-10%, in contrast to the untreated control in which the rib and shank was heated at 100°C for 5-40 min. Additionally, strength of mechanical toughness in the fore rump and rib after phosphate curing at 115°C for 30 min and blanching at 100°C for 2 min were significantly decreased to 1.3 and 1.4 kg_f (p<0.05) as compared to 2.0 and 1.8 kg_f in the control, respectively. During storage of retorted beef for 30 days at 10°C, rib and shank pretreated with 0.35% complex phosphates exhibited a highly soft texture as compared to that of untreated beef. The softening of pretreated beef was based on the increased WHC due to complex phosphates.