Whey protein concentrates effects on pink color development in a cooked ground turkey breast model system

The ability of whey protein concentrates (WPCs) to reduce pink color in cooked ground turkey was investigated. Ground turkey was formulated with no ligand and nitrite and nicotinamide to induce pinking. Five WPCs with 34 or 80% protein were tested and turkey samples were cooked to 80 and 85 °C and stored for 1 and 7 days. Three WPCs reduced a* values in turkey without added nitrite or nicotinamide and one WPC reduced nitrite induced pinking. In nicotinamide-induced pink turkey, two WPCs reduced a* values and two WPCs increased pink color. Nitrosylhemochrome was reduced by two WPCs and nicotinamide hemochrome was reduced by one WPC and increased by two WPCs. Increased cooking temperatures enhanced inhibitory effects or reduced reddening effects of two WPCs. Storage time and protein content had minimal effects on pink color. Whey protein concentrates have the potential to reduce the pink defect in cooked uncured turkey, although the mechanism is unclear.