The effect of tropical flours (breadfruit and banana) on structural and technological properties of beef emulsion modeling systems.

This study evaluated structural and technological properties of beef emulsion modeling systems prepared with tropical flours. Treatments consisted of a control (0% flour inclusion) and three inclusion levels (1%, 2% and 4%) of two breadfruit flours and a banana flour. Flour type affected starch content of cooked beef emulsions, with greater starch content for emulsions prepared with banana flour compared with breadfruit flour, yet flour type did not affect cooking loss. Hardness and chewiness of cooked beef emulsion prepared with breadfruit flour decreased as inclusion level increased from 0% to 4%, while hardness was not affected by inclusion level of banana flour. Redness values of cooked beef emulsions increased as flour inclusion level increased, but were not affected by flour type. Evaluation of the beef emulsion microstructure and storage modulus revealed that the starch granules of banana flour behaved remarkably different than breadfruit flour. Overall, there were positive structural and technological attributes when tropical flours were included in beef emulsions.