Development of low-fat chicken meat and dried egg white gels by high pressure

The objective was to obtain a low-fat chicken gel with high protein content by means of high pressure (HP). Dried egg white (DEW) was added as fat replacement. Using response surface methodology, 10 treatments were performed combining three factors: pressure (400-500MPa); temperature (40-60C); and DEW percentage (0-20%). The presence of DEW proteins remarkably increased hardness, cutting force and compression of the gels, suggesting their participation in the network structure coupled to the myofibrillar proteins; also, the binding properties were improved. Thermal analysis of batters treated at 40C and 500MPa had an incomplete denaturation of the myofibrillar and egg proteins and the ovalbumin experimented only partial unfolding at 60C at same pressure. Our results show the possibility of modifying certain functional characteristics of chicken meat gels with low fat content by means of HP and the addition of DEW.