Enhancing the meat-eating experience and improving overall value of meat products has been a longtime goal for processors. There have been some incredible advancements in the ingredients that improve texture, binding and water-holding capacity.
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.
While phosphates offer many benefits to meat and poultry products, the ingredient is not a clean-label one. The growth of clean-label, natural and organic meat and poultry products is leading to a decrease in the use of phosphates.
As an additive, in certain products, phosphates on the label might generate questions from consumers. But, equally, there are applications for phosphates that deliver nutritional benefit to consumers that can override any such concerns.
Due to ingredients such as phosphates, processors of lunch meat, sausage, ham, canned fish and processed meats can offer long-lasting, moist and tender products.