Tensile Strength of Processed Meats Determined by an Objective Instron Technique

Union Carbide has designed an accessory for securing meat slices while tensile strength determinations are being made using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. When compared to pneumatic jaws, the sliceholding accessory (SHA) gave smaller standard deviations, handled larger sample sizes, weakened the sample less and could be used to evaluate a wider range of products. The SHA was successfully used to demonstrate the positive effects of salt, phosphate, and dry skim milk on the binding characteristics of processed meats. In addition, it illustrated the effect of sample storage temperature and slice thickness on tensile strength (g/cm 2 ) of selected meat items. Recommendations are discussed for determining, reporting, and comparing tensile strength values on processed meats.