Polyphosphate and myofibrillar protein extract promote transglutaminase-mediated enhancements of rheological and textural properties of PSE pork meat batters

The objective of this study was to improve the rheological (storage modulus G′; phase angle δ) and textural (hardness; breaking force) properties of nitrite-cured sausage batters prepared from pale, soft, exudative (PSE) pork with microbial transglutaminase (TG) using isolated myofibrillar protein (MP) or MP extracted by sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as substrates. While TG alone significantly enhanced G′, δ and hardness, its combination with TPP was more pronounced as these product quality parameters were increased to the level equal to that of the counterpart batter made from normal (red, firm, non-exudative, RFN) pork. The addition of MP had negligible such effect on TG functions. Cooking loss of TG-treated RFN and PSE meat with TPP was minimal but the batters were less bright (L*) than other treatments. Redness (a*) was variable between treatments. Therefore, texture-related properties of comminuted PSE meat products can be restored to the RFN level by TG cross-linking of protein that is extracted by TPP. •Polyphosphate promotes the extraction of myofibrillar protein from PSE pork.•Extracted myofibrillar protein is effectively cross-linked by transglutaminase.•PSE pork batter treated with polyphosphate and transglutaminase forms strong gels.•Combined polyphosphate and transglutaminase restores PSE pork water-holding capacity.