Managing moisture in meat and poultry product development isn’t solely about avoiding dryness. It’s also about optimizing yield, texture, and consistency across variable raw materials and formats. This is especially true in fully-cooked products that need to maintain their juiciness and flavor integrity–even after a pass through a microwave or air fryer.

The fully cooked protein category is more important than ever. According to Mintel, 2023 saw a sharp increase in meat and poultry launches focused on convenience, with Gen Z consumers driving the popularity. 

Among convenience products, the most growth over the past five years has been in products offering time saving solutions, according to Innova’s new product database, though ready-made. And microwave options have also ticked up.

In any protein product category, a marination step can improve results. Whether applied via injection, vacuum tumble, or sous vide, marinades support water retention, extend shelf life, balance flavor distribution, and contribute to surface browning. Applying marination is especially crucial when dealing with lean or overlooked cuts, which often need to undergo a little more transformation to become consumer ready.

Source: © Sunsweet Growers

Salt and Phosphates: Effective but Evolving

The simplest marinade is a salt brine, which works by opening up the muscle structure and encouraging water absorption. As the salt opens up the muscle, it also makes it easier for the protein to take on the flavors in the marinade, whether that’s black pepper alone or a variety of herbs and spices. In addition, salt extends the shelf life of the raw protein

Over the years, however, chefs and scientists have discovered that adding other ingredients, especially phosphates, can increase water retention more than salt alone. 

Yet phosphates come with other concerns, especially among consumers avoiding them for health reasons such as kidney disease. Plus, some phosphates can also bleach or discolor meat. And if the protein is forced to absorb too much water, it throws off the texture. 

However, there are alternatives. “Prune ingredients can be used as an alternative to phosphates,” says Rick Perez, a research and development chef who consults with Sunsweet Growers Inc. based in Yuba City, Calif. The reason, explains Perez, is the chemical composition of prunes, which are high in sorbitol and pectin, both of which lend themselves to moisture binding.

A 2011 study published in the Journal of Food Science backs this claim up. Carried out at The University of Arkansas Fayetteville Food Science Department, the study compared vacuum-tumbled chicken breasts with prune marinades and vacuum-tumbled chicken breasts with sodium tripolyphosphates to a control group of chicken breasts with no marinade. The results found that marinades with prune ingredients were viable alternatives to phosphates. 

While the study went up to as much as 3% prune ingredient to the weight of the meat block, as little as 1% will do the trick, Perez says. While prune alone won’t increase the moisture level in whole-muscle cuts to extreme amounts, the ingredient enables good flavor and texture as well as a clean label.

“The ingredient helps the chicken stay moist and brown better than chicken bought off the retail shelf,” Perez says. Plus, “it retains a nice, fleshy color” without any discoloration that can happen with phosphates. 

Fully Cooked 

Marination offers benefits beyond moisture and seasoning. It can also help prevent the formation of off-flavors. And as more consumers gravitate toward meals that can be heated in an oven, microwave, or air fryer, formulaters often have to counter the threat of warmed-over flavor (WOF), a common problem in reheated proteins.

Using prune ingredients in marinades can help counter WOF, however. A 2008 study published in the journal Meat Science showed that high levels of antioxidant phenolic compounds in prunes suppressed the formation of WOF in roast beef marinated with the prune before being cooked. 

For lipid oxidation suppression, Perez recommends using the same percentage of prune as he uses for moisture binding– a ratio of .5 to 1% of the meat block. 

USDA Approved

Ingredients used for moisture binding in marinades need to get government approval. Fortunately, fresh plum concentrate, dried plum puree, and dried plum powder are approved for use as binders in meat and poultry products in the United States and Canada. 

And, according to the guidance in USDA’s Table of Safe and Suitable Ingredients regarding binders, those ingredients can be added at levels of up to 2% of the total product formulation when used for moisture binding.

 “We recognize [prune ingredients’] exceptional levels of flavor, nutritional components, and antioxidant phenolic compounds,” says Perez.