Pork enhancement via alkaline electrolyzed reduced water
Research aims to evaluate alkaline electrolyzed reduced water as a clean-label alternative to industry standard enhancement solutions of pork products.
Consumers develop expectations about the quality of a meat product long before they eat it based on quality cues available to them at retail level. Intrinsic quality cues include color, marbling and, to a lesser extent, the amount of moisture in the product. But upon eating, consumers relate pork quality to tenderness, intramuscular fat and how well done they cook their pork.
One of the most important goals of the pork industry is to create products that are profitable for the packer, processor and retailer while satisfying consumer demands. Traditional enhancement solutions may include different types of phosphates, salts, lactates and other ingredients to increase the moisture, sensory attributes and consumer acceptability of whole-muscle meat products. Even though consumers buy enhanced pork products, they are increasingly concerned with ingredients such as phosphate and salt. Therefore, clean-label alternative ingredients that function similarly to traditional enhancement solutions are of value to both the pork industry and consumers.