Water binding in raw and cooked marinated turkey breast meat

Raw and cooked turkey breast meat were studied for water binding properties after acidic marination (pH 6.2 to 4.4) with acetic acid solutions containing either neutral (NaCl) or alkaline (Na P O ) salts. Water binding response surfaces were developed for both salts based on a centrifugation technique with 150% fluid addition. A second technique for measuring the amount of bound water due to pH and NaCl concentration was applied to raw and cooked meat after 10, 20 or 30% fluid absorption. Irrespective of the amount of marination fluid addition to raw tissue, breast meat pH was determined by acid (P 0.35) concentrations. With response surface generation by appropriate statistical analysis, the linear, quadratic and cross-product components of pH and NaCl or Na P O were found significant (P<0.001) for water binding at 150% fluid addition. After 10, 20 or 30% fluid absorption, the bound water technique for pH and NaCl concentration showed only significant linear and cross-product effects of NaCl at 10% absorption whereas linear and quadratic effects of pH (P<0.001) were additional model components at 20 and 30% fluid absorption. Response surfaces for cooked meat yield were similar to those for water binding by raw tissue. As NaCl concentration increased, water binding minima for raw and cooked turkey breast meat shifted to lower pH values resembling an apparent protein isoelectric point response. Below binding minima, pH reduction improved water retention while an increase in NaCl addition decreased retention. The responses for bound water and cook yield at 10, 20 and 30% fluid absorption were significantly (P<0.001) correlated. This confirms that water binding characteristics on marination of raw meat are carried over to the yield responses for the cooked product.