Binding properties and colour of Bologna sausage made with varying fat levels, protein levels and cooking temperatures.

A little-studied procedure for adjusting the properties of low-fat products is to use the influence that both composition and certain processing factors exert on these properties. The object of the present work was to assess the effects of protein level (P, ranging from 10% to 16%), fat level (F, ranging from 10.1% to 22%) and cooking temperature (HT, ranging from 77 °C to 105 °C) on the binding properties and colour of meat emulsions. Protein content was the variable that most influenced total expressible fluid (TEF) and purge loss. Heating rate had scarcely any effect on the binding properties of Bologna sausages. Analysis of variance indicated that the regression models for parameters L, a and b were not significant.