Microstructure of white and dark Turkey meat batters as affected by pH

1. The effect of increasing the pH (4.5 to 7.5) of white and dark comminuted turkey meat on the microstructure of cooked batters was studied.

2. Both scanning and transmission electron micrographs revealed that low pH caused the formation of a dense aggregated gel matrix while increasing the pH resulted in more open structures.

3. At pH 7.5 both the white and dark meat exhibited superior water holding capacity (both raw and cooked) compared to the low pH treatments; all adjusted to 14% protein.

4. The high pH also resulted in a higher gel strength, while the low pH (4.5) produced a soft and crumbly texture. As pH was raised, gel strength gradually increased reaching a maximum at pH 7.5. Decreasing the pH resulted in lighter meat batters in both the white and dark turkey meat.

5. Muscle fibre microstructure appeared to be better preserved at the low pH treatments.