Effects of high-pressure treatments on water characteristics and juiciness of rabbit meat sausages: Role of microstructure and chemical interactions

- The 200 MPa 3 min is a demarcation between less- and influential HPP extents (25 °C).
- Those pre-treated under optimal HPP higher yields and more-juicy taste when cooked.
- The difference between centrifugal and cook loss is positively related to juiciness.
- Homogeneous and highly interconnected microstructures were obtained by defined HPP.
- Relationships between juiciness, water properties and chemical bonds were established.

High-pressure processing (HPP), 100-300 MPa for 3, 9 or 15 min (25 °C), was applied to rabbit meat batters, using untreated samples as controls. Water characteristics and juiciness of samples were evaluated together with a quantitative analysis of microstructures and specific chemical interactions. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the data suggested that 200 MPa for 3 min was the threshold for effective HPP treatment under the conditions used. Compared with the controls, these conditions induced highly-interconnected and homogeneous tri-dimensional structures, which showed higher fractal dimensions and lower lacunarity. Overall, the HPP-treated samples exhibited a strengthening of hydrogen bonding together with non-specific associations and was accompanied by a reduction in disulfide bonding. These modifications contributed to a higher immobile-water population and faster proton relaxation-times. These changes were partly responsible for the reduced cooking losses and greater centrifugal losses (P < 0.05). The potential of HPP for the manufacture of high-yielding, juicy gel-type meat products was verified.Industrial relevanceHigh-pressure processing (HPP) is an effective technology as a pre-treatment to meat batters. Advantages include opportunities to reduce in fat and salt contents of processed meat products by appropriate use of this technique. In this study, we established that application of moderate HP-treatments (200 MPa for 9 and 15 min as well as 300 MPa for 3 and 9 min, 25 °C) on rabbit meat preparations led to a reduction in cooking loss of cooked batters, along with an enhancement of juiciness. This work with rabbit meat sausages verifies the potential of HPP for increasing juiciness in the cooked product, and further, defines conditions for the manufacture of high-yielding and juicy gel-type meat products.