CARRAGEENAN EFFECTS ON THERMAL-STABILITY OF MEAT PROTEINS

Meat myofibrillar protein (MP) gels and ground pork were used as model systems for studying thermal transition temperatures. Addition of up to 2% of kappa, iota, Or lambda carrageenan (CGN) to MP caused a very slight change in the thermal denaturation of the meat proteins. Three transition temperatures were found in ground pork samples, which were characteristic of myosin (59.4 degrees C), sarcoplasmic proteins (67.8 degrees C), and actin (82.4 degrees C). Mixtures of high ionic streng th had lower thermal transition peaks. CGN did not cause major shifts in transition temperatures, suggesting that molecular interactions bet ween CGN and meat proteins did not occur.