Enhanced texture, yield and safety of a ready-to-eat salted duck meat product using a high pressure-heat process

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of high pressure, in combination with heat, for development of a ready-to-eat salted duck meat product. Duck breast was subjected to a salting and pickling process prior to either heating-alone (70 °C) or high-pressure (200 MPa) with heating (70 °C) for 10 or 20 min, and compared with a cooked control (core temperature 80 °C at 0.1 MPa) for quality assessment. Compared with the cooked control, pressure-heat treated samples exhibited reduced cooking losses, and NMR showed they had larger fast-relaxation proton compartments. Pressure-heat preserved some sarcoplasmic and connective tissue proteins, but caused greater denaturation of actin than with heat-only samples. The reduction in microbial load with pressure-heat indicated suitability of the process for ready-to-eat products. Pressure-heat treatment did not affect color, but there was a decrease in hardness and gumminess, suggesting higher palatability. The reduction in cooking losses, resulting from altered proton compartmentalization, and changes in myofibrillar proteins enhanced product acceptability.