Phosphate is unique in that it is the only ingredient other than salt that has been traditionally used and interacts directly to modify meat proteins and protein functionality.
For example, alkaline phosphates increase the pH of muscle, which increases protein extraction, emulsion stability and water-holding capacity, which reduces cooking loss, explains Lynn Knipe, extension processed meat specialist and associate professor in Food Science and Technology and Animal Sciences at Ohio State University in Columbus. As a result of increasing water-holding capacity, phosphates cause increased juiciness and perceived tenderness. Phosphates also serve as antioxidants and a water softener by binding iron, calcium, magnesium, etc., which initiate oxidation and cause water hardness, he says.