The Stability Of Capsicum Red Pigment And Application In Meat Batter

The color is an important aspect of the quality of meat products. Pigments are more and more widely used in meat processing. Capsicum red pigment is a kind of natural pigment, so it is unstable. Fading occurs frequently on the products with that pigment during transport and storage of the products. Study and application of capsicum red pigment is on the ascendant in recent years, but researches about the stability of capsicum red pigment in meat products were not reported. The stability of capsicum red pigment solution in different temperature, light intensity, oxidizing agents, pH and ionic strength was studied. Changes of the stability of the pigment solution with various factors were obtained. Screening of the stabilizers that can effectively inhibit discoloration of the pigment solution was accomplished, and the optimum dosages of each effective stabilizer were determined. Based on this, the influence of different light intensities, oxidant concentrations and antioxidants on the stability of capsicum red pigment in colored meat batter during storage was investigated. The results were as follows:1. Study on factors affecting the stability of capsicum red pigmentThe influence of temperature (10-100℃), light intensity (0-1000 lx), oxidizing agents (different concentrations of H2O2 and FeCl2), pH (3-7), ionic strength (0-0.05 mol/L) and stabilizers on the stability of capsicum red pigment solution was investigated. The results showed that the pigment degraded by a big margin when temperature rose above 70℃. Meanwhile, the magnitude of degradation tended to increasing with rising temperature. When the light intensity was less than 300 Ix, degradation of the pigment accelerated with the increase of light intensity. Pigment preservation rate was 56% after pigment solution was irradiated with light of 300 1x for 72 h. Acidic environment of pH= 4 or less may cause capsicum red pigment to fade. H2O2 and Fe2+ significantly affected the stability of the pigment. Ionic strength between 0 and 0.05 mol/L had no significant effect on the stability of capsicum red pigment (P>0.05). Tea polyphenols and VE had a significant inhibitory effect on the pigment degradation, and the optimum dosages were respectively 0.025% and 0.01%. The identification test results of the stability of the fortified pigment showed that the abilities of acid resistance, high temperature resistance and oxidants resistance of the pigment solution were improved, after the solution was fortified by VE. In comparison with that, tea polyphenols enhanced the abilities of acid resistance and high temperature resistance of the pigment solution.2. The effect of illumination, oxidants and antioxidants on the stability of capsicum red pigment in colored meat batterWith colored meat batter as material for the trial, the effect of different light intensities (0-900 1x), oxidant concentrations and antioxidants on colorimetric value, MDA content and capsicum red pigment content of colored meat batter during storage was studied. The results showed that illumination of 0-900 1x did not affect lightness value and yellowness value of colored meat batter (P>0.05), but the illumination may reduce redness values of colored meat batter during early stage of refrigeration. If the illumination intensity exceeded a certain level, the illumination would promote the degradation of capsicum red pigment in meat batter. High oxidant concentrations may lead to the decrease of the redness values of colored meat batter during frozen storage. Lipid oxidation of colored meat batter increased as the oxidant concentration went up. Adding oxidants caused the instant oxidation of capsicum red pigment in colored meat batter, and high concentrations of oxidants enhanced the degree of degradation of the pigment in meat batter. With the addition of VE or tea polyphenols in colored meat batter, lightness values and yellowness values both decreased, and redness values rose up. Through response surface analysis, the optimal VE/tea polyphenols ratio of 0.0078% VE and 0.021% tea polyphenols was obtained. The maximum redness value of colored meat batter after 8 d refrigeration storage using that ratio was 14.86.