Consumers remain interested in poultry items for health reasons, and innovation in this segment helps poultry product manufacturers satisfy their needs. New flavorings offered by Proliant Inc., Ames, Iowa, allow processors to offer flavorful, nutritional products, while saving money.

Enhancing Depth of Flavors

The ingredients, T5501 Turkey Flavor and C5501 Chicken Flavor, provide mild flavor notes to poultry products that enhance the depth of their flavor. However, “What food processors truly are going to be excited about is their functionality,” explains Rachel Martin, marketing manager. The new flavors, which also are functional proteins, not only offer a better taste, but also are excellent water binders. They improve the texture and juiciness of products, increase yields and decrease formulation costs. They also are highly heat stable, she says. The tan-colored powders are easy to use and will not change the color of the finished product.

Within a product, the flavors work by helping to form a thermally reversible, elastic, cold gel that firms when cooled and melts when reheated. “This helps to increase juiciness and moisture release in the mouth, without overly-softening the product,” explains Gits Prabhu, Ph.D., project leader - meat applications. The flavors have the ability to bind up to four times their weight in water, which is important in combating purge, the free liquid often seen in meat packages. “The appearance of the product is better and—since this liquid is a potential source of growth of microbes—the binding properties help extend the shelf life of the product,” she continues. The ingredients also help stabilize emulsions.

Money Matters

Besides improved sensory characteristics in the finished product, the flavors decrease costs by allowing processors to replace a small portion of the meat portion with poultry flavor and water. In a typical meat reduction situation, manufacturers can replace up to 5% of their lean meat ingredients with a functional protein/water combination. Because Proliant's new flavors are functional proteins, they can be added at the 1% level to bind another 4% of added water.

The advantage of using the new poultry flavors is that product quality will not suffer. “The ingredients have functionality, so clients do not have to sacrifice quality for cost,” states Prabhu. The proteins can be used in high heat applications (retort), such as Vienna sausage. Other items include: processed meat emulsions, coarse ground poultry sausage, fermented sausages, chopped and formed ham, battered and breaded poultry, poultry marinades, nuggets and patties. “In all these cases, manufacturers will experience a substantial cost savings. In a market which is experiencing stunted growth, we think these products fit in nicely with processors who wish to keep nutritional value, while saving costs,” concludes Prabhu.

For more information:
Proliant Inc. at 1-800-369-2672 or 515-296-7100
ingredients@proliantinc.com
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