Comparative Water Holding Properties of Various Muscle Foods

The water holding capacity (WHC) of meat has an important effect on its commercial value. A review of this topic is particularly appropriate because confusion exists as to what WHC means, how it should be measured, the extent to which various muscles differ in this attribute and the mechanisms by which changes in WHC occur. In this paper, definitions are given for the terms: WHC, free exudate, expressible moisture and water‐binding potential. Methods for measuring WHC can be categorized as those involving no force, an applied force, or other approaches, all of which are discussed. Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence WHC and these are enumerated and discussed. Comparative data on the WHC of various kinds of animal muscle are presented and conceptual and mechanistic matters relevant to WHC are discussed.