The purpose of comminution, or chopping the meat, is to help reduce the size of the meat and fat particles to size that allows for the myosin and other meat proteins to coat the fat particles completely (Dikeman and Devine, 2014). The uniformity of the chop helps to form a stable emulsion.
2. The size of the fat particle affects the stability of the emulsion because the fat particles need to be small enough so the meat proteins can coat them and create a stable fat in water emulsion. If the fat particles are too small, the fat particles can begin to agglomerate reducing the stability of the emulsion because there is not enough protein to cover the increased surface area of the fat particles (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015). Salt is important in the emulsion because is dissociates in water and solubilizes protein. The salt and water and protein solution is what coats the fat particles and forms an emulsion (Dikeman and Devine, 2014). The type of meat affects the stability of the emulsion because protein structures vary between animals, making it easier or more difficult to solubilize the protein. According to Dikeman and Devine (2014), the meat batter should reach 15-20°C during chopping to allow for efficient fat size reduction and protein adsorption. Therefore temperature of the product affects the size of the proteins and fat pockets while chopping, which is factor is the overall stability of the …show more content…
The texture of the overchopped frankfurters was less appealing because the emulsion was not stable. The overchopped variable had more globules of fat where the fat had agglomerated because the fat particles had been chopped so small that there was not enough protein, water, and salt solution to coat all the fat particles and make them stable in the fat and water emulsion (Dikeman and Devine, 2014). The overchopped variable also was less juicy because the emulsion was not stable enough to bind the water within the product, therefore it had lower water binding capacity than the regular frankfurter variable that had a stable emulsion and was