Effects of transglutaminase coupled with κ-carrageenan on the rheological behaviours, gel properties and microstructures of meat batters

This study investigated the effects of the combined application of transglutaminase (TG) and κ-carrageenan (KC) on the rheological behaviours, gel properties, and microstructures of meat batters before and after heat treatment. The results indicated that the combined addition of TG and KC could significantly improve the apparent viscosity and viscoelastic behaviour of uncooked meat batter, and lead to a more rigid network structure and faster elastic response than the addition of either TG or KC. Moreover, apart from the formation of a denser and finer gel network, the gel properties of cooked meat batter were effectively improved after the addition of TG and KC. Compared with the samples containing either TG or KC, cooked meat batter containing 0.3% TG and 0.2% KC exhibited the highest hardness, adhesiveness, chewiness, and springiness (P < 0.05), this was verified by the rheological test under the temperature sweep mode. Therefore, compared with the addition of TG or KC alone, the combined addition of TG and KC could synergistically enhance the gel properties and viscoelastic behaviour of meat batter.