Utilization of Transglutaminase for the Development of Low-fat, Low-salt Sausages and Restructured Meat Products Manufactured with Pork Hams and Loins

This study was performed to determine whether transglutaminase (Aciva-TG, TGase) can be used to reduce the salt level in low-fat sausages and to replace emulsified meats (10%) for the manufacture of restructured meat products (RMP). Pork hams and loins were collected from a local retail market in Gwangju, Korea and used for the manufacture of sausages and RMPs, respectively. TGase at the level of 0.1% can permit the reduction of the salt level from 1.5% to 1.0% in low-fat comminuted sausages without any quality defects, however a crumbly texture was found if the salt level was reduced below 1.0% even though it combined with certain amounts of TGase. No differences in chemical composition and physical properties were observed (p>0.05) among treatments. Approximately 0.3% of TGase can replace 10% emulsified meats, which are normally used for improvement of binding capacity to manufacture RMPs, without quality defects. This study suggests that TGase could be used for the manufacture of low-fat, low-salt functional meat products for the improvement of textural characteristics and binding capacity without adverse effects.