Mulberry fruit powder enhanced the antioxidant capacity and gel properties of hammered minced beef: Oxidation degree, rheological, and structure

The effects of mulberry fruit powder on the antioxidant capacity and gel properties of hammered minced beef, including oxidation degree, texture properties, rheological properties and protein structure, were investigated. The results manifested that the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and DPPH free radical scavenging rate of minced beef were remarkably enhanced (P < 0.05) when the addition of mulberry fruit powder was 0.6%, while the contents of carbonyl and total sulfhydryl groups were reduced. Higher storage modulus (G′) and lower tanδ demonstrated that mulberry fruit powder conduced to the formation of a denser gel network structure and improved rheological properties. Furthermore, the improvement of hardness and resilience as well as the reduction of cooking loss rate suggested that mulberry fruit powder had a positive effect on maintaining the gel textural properties. Surface hydrophobicity and FT-IR analysis elucidated that mulberry fruit powder promoted the unfolding of protein structure and the transformation from α-helix to β-sheet structure. Nevertheless, a high concentration of mulberry fruit powder (≥1.0%) could jeopardize the structural properties and quality of minced meat gels. Thus, to maintain the good quality of meat products, both the addition of mulberry fruit powder and the oxidation degree should be controlled simultaneously.