Effect of added phosphate and type of cooking method on physico-chemical and sensory features of cooked lamb loins

• Lamb loins were brined with phosphates before sous-vide and oven cooking.
• Phosphates reduced cooking losses and increased moisture content.
• Instrumental hardness and shear force values increased with phosphate addition.
• Phosphates enhanced juiciness and reduced toughness.

This study evaluated the effect of brining with phosphates on the physico-chemical and sensory features of sous-vide and roasted cooked lamb. Lamb loins (n = 48) were injected with either 10% w/w of distilled water or a solution containing 0.2% or 0.4% (w/v) of a mixture of phosphate salts. After injection, samples were either sous-vide cooked (12 h—60 °C) or oven roasted (180 °C until 73 °C of core temp.). Expressible moisture, cooking loss, instrumental color, pH, water holding capacity, instrumental texture and sensory properties were evaluated. Brining with phosphates led to lower cooking loss in both sous-vide and oven roasted samples, but only the former showed significantly higher moisture content. Phosphates increased instrumental hardness and shear force values in sous-vide samples, while this effect was not as evident in roasted ones. Toughness was reduced and juiciness was improved as a consequence of phosphate addition. Overall, injection of a phosphate solution appears as a potential procedure for improving sensory textural features of cooked lamb whole cuts.