Consumers rarely have the time or ability to cook or reheat processed meats in a manner that will produce the optimal sensory experience; freezer burn, vacuum packaging and microwaves complicate matters. Even inexperienced chefs have a hard time getting meats to taste the way they should. “In the foodservice world, meat products are [regularly] abused,” says Tom Katen, a technical manager for meat applications at a starch company. “The forms of misuse are extensive, ranging from overcooked roasts and meats that are held too long in the warmer to meats that are frozen and thawed repeatedly.”
Water-holding compounds help overcome this misuse. Salts, phosphates, modified food starches, low dextrose equivalent (DE) corn syrup solids, maltodextrins, gums like carrageenans, wheat, whey and soy protein isolates, concentrates and flours increase yield by binding water and some fat.