Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1977

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Ecology

Major Professor

Mary Jo Hitchcock

Committee Members

Grayce E. Goertz, Ada Marie Campbell, J.B. McLaren

Abstract

Food quality assessments based on yield, cooking losses, and palatability factors were applied to a model food cooked by commercial preparation methods in a simulated chill/serve food service system. Frozen, soy-extended meat patties of a standard formulation represented a common food material flowing through a food service system. Batch sizes of 24 patties were prepared by (1) grilling, (2) baking by natural convection, and (3) baking by forced-air convection. Refrigerating of bulk packed samples and microwave reheating of plated samples concluded the input effects.

Cooked, whole meat patties were portioned with a specially designed cutting tool and recombined into composite patties which included portions of all three cooking treatments. After 30 sec microwave reheating of the composite patties, consumer panelists were presented three hot portions for tasting while two other portions were pooled by treatment for measurements of percent moisture and shear force.

Objective determinations of factors affecting quality included cooking losses, yield, moisture, moisture retention, and shear force index. Results indicated that greater percentage yields and fewer cooking losses occurred by the oven methods than by the grill method. Values for percent moisture and percent moisture retention were not significantly different for cooked whole patties but were significantly different for composite patties.

Portions of samples were sheared in the Kramer Shear Cell attachment to the Instron, universal testing machine. Shear force index was calculated as an indicator of tenderness of the cooked meat patties. No significant differences in tenderness due to treatment were determined for samples in this study.

Subjective assessments of factors affecting quality were made by a total of 89 consumer panelists. Appearance, flavor, juiciness, overall acceptability, and preference were scored. Samples baked by forced-air convection were scored highest for appearance and flavor. Tenderness scores-were higher for the oven methods than the grill method, but differences were not significant. Significant contributions to overall acceptability were predicted for flavor, appearance, and tenderness. However, mean scores for overall acceptability were not significantly different and indicated "like slightly" on the hedonic scale. Sensory scores failed to identify a preferred method of commercial preparation for the meat patties in the study.

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