The water-holding capacity of meat: A reference analytical method

[Display omitted] •We developed a precise method to express meat water-holding capacity (WHC).•WHC is expressed in relation to fat-free dry matter components.•Our method can be used as a universal procedure and referential analytical method.•Unification of WHC determination methods is advisable and should be substantiated. The water-holding capacity (WHC) of meat affects its characteristics and is a crucial criterion for assessing meat quality. However, there is no precise analytical method for determining meat WHC. This study aimed to develop a precise and widely applicable method to determine the WHC of turkey and pork samples. A filter-paper press method was used to present WHC as water content (%) before and after pressing (WHC1) or water content (%) after pressing relative to the fat-free dry matter components of the tested meat (WHC3). In cases where pressing released both fat and muscle juice, procedures to calculate WHC2 or WHC4 were applied. This increased the precision of WHC values calculated using formulas 1 and 3 (for WHC1 and WHC3 values, respectively). Expressing WHC as WHC3 ensured absolute precision in determining WHC. This study successfully developed a reference analytical method for accurately determining meat WHC.