Application of PCA method for characterisation of textural properties of selected ready-to-eat meat products

Mechanical tests, chemical composition analysis and sensory evaluation have been used to assess textural quality characteristics of two products manufactured from minced turkey meat. Mechanical properties of the samples analysed displayed greater variability than chemical composition and sensory assessment. The particular magnitudes were bound together showing significant correlations. Principal component analysis (PCA) enabled differentiation between two product brands tested in terms of textural properties and their reproducibility. The experiments and data analysis performed have shown that the simple penetration test may be the useful method for rapid control of the textural properties of this kind of product to be applied in the industry, meanwhile the applicability of shear test might be limited.