Pulsed pressure assisted brining of porcine meat

• Pulsed pressure (PP) assisted brining markedly shortened meat salting time.
• PP assisted brining had no significant effect on the chemical compositional of salted meat.
• PP assisted brining improved the texture and the production rate of salted meat.

Pulsed pressure (PP) is an emerging food processing technology, which is scarcely used in food processing, especially in meat salting. In this study, pork loins were brined using a PP apparatus in order to accelerate the brining rate and improve the product's texture properties. The pulsed pressure cycle was 150 kPa (holding 40 min), atmospheric pressure (holding 20 min), and number of pressure pulses 12. The results indicated that PP assisted brining could effectively shorten the brining time on the basis of reaching the same salt content as the control brined samples (brined at atmospheric pressure). The basic chemical composition and freshness were not markedly affected by PP. The texture profile (hardness, springiness and gumminess) of the PP brined samples was highly improved compared with the control brined samples (P < 0.05). PP assisted brining appears as a promising technology in the meat processing industry in the near future.Industrial relevancePHP assisting brining could effectively shorten the brining time to about 70% compared to brining at the atmospheric pressure. The water holding capacity was significantly increased, which could consequently improve the production rate. The texture profile (hardness, springiness and gumminess) of the PHP treated samples was highly improved compared with the control samples (P < 0.05). So, PHP will be a promising technology in the meat processing industry in the near future.