Effect of Okara on Textural, Color and Rheological Properties of Pork Meat Gels

The objective of this study was to investigate effect of okara on the textural, color and rheological properties of pork meat gels. Pork meat gels with okara had better cooking characteristics than those without okara. As okara content increased in pork meat gels, there were significant increases in lightness (L*), hardness, chewiness and breaking force of gels but decreases in cohesiveness, while there was no significant difference found in gel springiness and resilience. Addition of okara also increased storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) of pork batters during the heating. Loss tangent (tan δ) patterns indicated that okara facilitate to hold more water and accelerated the denaturation to form an elastic gel network. Overall, okara can be used as an ingredient to improve the quality of pork‐based products, especially to replace animal fats. Practical Applications Results of this investigation could have a potential for developing a novel meat product that contains dietary fiber since a product with better functionality, lower cost and more nutritional benefit is very importance for the meat processing industry.