QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF GROUND BUFFALO MEAT BY PREBLENDING WITH SODIUMASCORBATE

Ground buffalo meat (GBM) was preblended with sodium ascorbate (SA) at 0, 300, 400, 500 and 600 ppm level and was examined for its quality c hanges during refrigerated storage at 4 +/- 1 degrees C. It was observ ed that GBM containing 500 ppm SA had significantly higher pH, visual colour and odour, lovibond tintometer red colour units (LTCU 'R') and chroma, lower cooking loss, metmyoglobin content and TBARS number as c ompared with other levels of SA. TBA RS number was highly correlated w ith metmyoglobin and inversely with odour score; visual colour was neg atively correlated with metmyoglobin, aerobic mesophiles count and psy chrotrophs plate count. SA at 500 ppm is found to be optimum level for preblending which extended the shelf life of GBM from 4 to 8 days und er refrigerated storage. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.