Methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose may be purge controllers.

As the amount of water added to high-moisture, restructured hams increases, what decreases is the ability of the protein exudate to bind pieces of muscle, to retain water during thermal processing and to minimize the purge--the release of water--during storage. For this reason, you might want to consider methylcellulose (MC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as potential purge controllers (PCs) for high-moisture restructured hams.

Researchers at Michigan State University have investigated the effects of MC, HPMC and kappa-carrageenan (KC) on the water-binding and retention properties of restructured high-moisture hams. MC and HPMC may create a protein-hydrocolloid interaction that results in higher water-binding and retention capabilities, they've found.

A previous study determined that MC at a 0.4% level, HPMC at a 0.6% level and KC at a 0.6% level produced high-moisture restructured test tube hams with high cook yields and a low purge loss. With this in mind, scientists formulated five brine treatments: 0.4% MC and 0.6% HPMC; 0.4% MC and 0.6% KC; 0.6% HPMC and 0.6% KC; 0.4% MC, 0.6% HPMC and 0.6% KC; and a control with 0% PC.

Treatment brine solutions (45% addition w/w) were mixed into ground 0.9 cm ham muscle. They were stuffed into polycarbonate tubes. They were cooked in water to a 70 C internal temperature. Investigators evaluated the ham "plugs" for cook yield, purge loss, color and texture (firmness).

The brines from treatments three and four had higher (p<0.05) cook yields. All treatment brines decreased (p<0.05) the purge loss by 5.96%, indicating water retention had increased. L* values for all treated hams were darker (p<0.05) in color (lower) than those for the control. Hams manufactured with brines containing KC with either MC or HPMC were firmer (p<0.05) in their texture.

These results suggest that brines formulated with KC and either HPMC or MC can increase high-moisture restructured "test-tube" ham cook yields and decrease purge loss without causing detrimental effects on texture and color. Researchers are investigating the effects of these treatment brines in commercially manufactured high-moisture restructured hams.

Further information. Wesley Osburn, Departments of Animal Science and Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, 3385 Anthony Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].