Effect of ultrasound-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment on gel characteristics and water migration of reduced-salt pork batters.

To study the potential usefulness of ultrasound (0, 30, and 60 min) and sodium bicarbonate (0 % and 0.2 %) combination on the reduced-salt pork batters, the changes in water holding capacity, gel properties, and microstructure were investigated. The pH, salt-soluble proteins solubility, cooking yield, and b* values of reduced-salt pork batters significantly increased (P < 0.05) with the increase in ultrasound time and the addition of sodium bicarbonate, leading to the hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness significantly increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the use of ultrasound-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment caused the reduced-salt pork batters to form a typical spongy structure with more evenly cavities. Due to the initial relaxation time of T and T were shorter, and the peak ratio of P was increased and P was decreased after ultrasound-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment, implying that the mobility of water was reduced. Thus, the use of ultrasound-assisted sodium bicarbonate treatment enabled reduced-salt pork batters to have better gel characteristics and higher cooking yield.