Enhancing pork meat batter with curdlan gum-guar gum composite microgels: Impact of fat replacer on gel properties, water distribution, and sensory perception

This work investigated the effects of curdlan gum–guar gum composite microgels (CG microgels) as a fat replacer on the gel properties, water distribution, and microstructures of pork meat batters, using techniques including rheometry, SEM, and LF-NMR. Between 55 °C and 80 °C, the addition of 30 % CG microgels enhanced the viscoelastic response of pork meat batters. Additionally, the CG microgels reduced cooking loss from 18.31 % to 15.06 % and increased the water holding capacity from 85.07 % to 86.20 %. In the low-fat group, the replacement of pork backfat with CG microgels resulted in a denser gel network structure, enhancing their texture and gel strength. This denser network also reduced flow of water, shifting from free water to more immobilized water, and contributed to improve the apparent state, color, flavor and texture of pork meat batters. This research provides valuable methodological insights for enhancing the quality of low-fat pork meat batters.