Utilization of pork collagen for functionality improvement of boneless cured ham manufactured from pale, soft, and exudative pork.

This study was designed to determine the effect of raw material and the inclusion of pork collagen on the protein functionality of boneless cured pork manufactured from 100% pale, soft, and exudative (PSE), 50% PSE, and 0% PSE with either 3 or 0% collagen. A Randomized Complete Block Design with six replications was utilized as the experimental design. Inclusion of collagen decreased (P<0.05) expressible moisture and increased (P<0.05) CIE b* value. Differences (P<0.05) revealed that collagen inclusion caused the 0% PSE treatments to have a lower cooking loss for 100% PSE treatments with and without collagen and a higher protein-protein bind value for 100% PSE treatments without collagen. Utilization of pork collagen in boneless cured pork that incorporates PSE meat increases water holding capacity and has the potential to improve protein functionality characteristics of the product.