Gel properties of pork meat batter modulated by Gleditsia sinensis polysaccharide: Texture, viscoelasticity, water mobility, and microstructure

Natural polysaccharides are promising functional ingredients for improving meat gel properties, but the effects of Gleditsia sinensis polysaccharide (GSP) in pork meat batter remain unclear. We evaluated GSP effects on pork meat batter gels. GSP significantly enhanced cooking yield, water-holding capacity, and gel strength with optimal performance at 0.2%–0.4% addition. At 0.4% GSP, cooking yield increased by 15.68% compared with the control, while springiness, chewiness, and microstructural uniformity also improved. GSP promoted a more compact gel network and higher immobilised water content, demonstrating its potential as an effective functional ingredient for producing pork products with superior water-holding capacity and texture.