Total Phosphorus Content in Technologically Unprocessed Meat

Abstract

The total phosphorus content was measured in raw, technologically unprocessed meats. Our results show that total phosphorus content in different raw meats varies substantially (from 1.41g/kg to 4.22 ± 0.93g/kg). Based on the results, manufacturers of meat products are advised that before production of any meat product, the precise amount of total phosphorus in raw meat starting material has to be known. Based on this, the content of added synthetic phosphates and polyphosphates together with the content of natural phosphorus in the meat would be within the prescribed values stated in the Regulation, which are 8g/kg.

Full text

Procedia Food Science 5 ( 2015 ) 243 – 246
2211-601X © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of scientific committee of The 58th International Meat Industry Conference (MeatCon2015)
doi: 10.1016/j.profoo.2015.09.062
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect
International 58th Meat Industry Conference “Meat Safety and Quality: Where it goes?”
Total phosphorus content in technologically unprocessed meat
Nadezda Prica
a
, Milica Zivkov-Balos
a
, Sandra Jaksic
a
, Zeljko Mihaljev
a
, Brankica
Kartalovic
a
, Dragana Ljubojevic
a
, Sara Savic
a
, Nadezda Prica
a,
*
a
Scientific Veterinary Institute ''Novi Sad'', Rumenacki put 20, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Abstract
The total phosphorus content was measured in raw, technologically unprocessed meats. Our results show that total phosphorus
content in different raw meats varies substantially (from 1.41 g/kg to 4.22 ± 0.93 g/kg). Based on the results, manufacturers of
m
eat products are advised that before production of any meat product, the precise amount of total phosphorus in raw meat
s
tarting material has to be known. Based on this, the content of added synthetic phosphates and polyphosphates together with the
content of natural phosphorus in the meat would be within the prescribed values stated in the Regulation, which are 8 g/kg.
© 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of scientific committee of International 58th Meat Industry Conference “Meat Safety and
Quality: Where it goes?” (MeatCon2015)”.
Keywords: total phosphorus content; technologically unprocessed meat
1. Introduction
In modern food technology, the most important purpose of every manufacturing formula is to produce a product
w
ith desired appearance, texture, smell and taste, but which is also safe and healthy1. Food safety is an imperative
for modern society and that is the reason why most food additives, besides other measures applied, and if used in a
proper way, can significantly help in achieving the objective of food safety. On the contrary, excessive and
unprofessional use of additives, or not declaring th
e true content, can have negative effects on the quality of product
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +381-64-8185-446; fax: +381-21-518-544.
E-mail address: nadja@niv.ns.ac.rs
© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of scientific committee of The 58th International Meat Industry Conference (MeatCon2015)

244 Nadezda Prica et al. / Procedia Food Science 5 ( 2015 ) 243 – 246
and also on health of consumers
2
. Phosphorus can be found in the bodies of all living creatures, mostly as
organically bound polyphosphoric acid , and is a precondition for every life process, being the actual energy center
3
. Phosphorus is an essential macroelement, the absorption of which in the human body depends on the presence of
calcium, vitamin D and also on the activity of parathyroid hormone which regulates the absorption of calcium and
phosphorus. In the human body, phosphorus is a component of bones and teeth (over 85% of the total quantity in the
body). It is also a constituent of DNA, RNA and compounds with high energy (adenosine triphosphate, creatine
ph
osphate), a regulator of acid-base balance, etc. Symptoms of phosphorus deficiency in human nutrition are not
k
nown, but excess of phosphorus in the body influences the excretion of calcium
4
.
Phosphates and polyphosphates have four important features on
which their use is based and those features are:
emulsifying properties, they act as sequestrants, great power of dispersion and high capacity for water retention
5
.It is
also known that higher quantities of phosphorus in meat products do not contribute to better product qualities or
safety , but can only have a consequential pro-oxidative effect and cause the product to
have a not really pleasant
astringent taste
6,7
.
Synthetic phosphate additives are permitted in a large number of food products. The influence of phosphorus
che
mistry is not completely clarified even today, but it is known that phosphates interact with proteins like casein,
act as emulsifying agents and affect the separation of fat from water in cheese. Besides this role in the technology of
fat, water and protein emulsification, phosphates also encourage the binding of water in meat products. This water
binding can be technologically justified, but excessive amounts of phosphorus in a meat product can negatively
influence product safety
3
. Phosphorus uptake influences the resorption of calcium or even more directly, causes
calcium from bones to be released, which leads to health problems in developing individuals and also in middle
aged women.
Regulations restrict the total quantity of phosphates and
polyphosphates for different products (expressed as
P
2
O
5
) but do not take into account the analytical procedures for accurate determination of added and natural
phosphorus in a product. That is why it is essential, before usage of any kind of meat in the preparation of meat
products, to know the quantity of phosphorus in the meat or meat mass, so that added synthetic phosphates and
polyphosphates will not exceed the allowable limit
3
.
Due to these facts mentioned above, the aim of this paper w
as to measure the total phosphorus content in raw,
technologically unprocessed meat. With such data, manufacturers would know the quantity of phosphorus based
additives that can be added into a meat product so that the total f
inal quantity of phosphorus does not exceed the
limit of 8 g/kg in the product, as given in the Regulation
5
.
2. Materials and methods
Materials for the study were samples of raw pork and pou
ltry meat. In total, 24 samples were analyzed. The
samples were divided into seven groups: pork ham, pork neck, mechanically separated poultry meat (MSM), back
bacon, pork shoulder, turkey fillet and turkey drumsticks.
Total content of phosphorus, expressed as P
2
O
5
(g/kg) was determined by spectrophotometry, by a standard
method SRPS ISO (13730/1999)
8
. According to the method, 5 g of each sample was weighed in a ceramic plate. The
plate was heated in a muffle furnace. The next step was acid hydrolysis of ash, with ammonium heptamolybdate and
a
mmonium monovanadate reactions afterwards. A yellow colored complex of vanadomolybdophosphoric acid was
created
, the intensity of which was then measured by spectrophotometry at wavelength of 430 nm. The total content
of phosphorus determined by this method represented the natural phosphorus from meat plus phosphorus from
ad
ded phosphates, if there was any.

245
Nadezda Prica et al. / Procedia Food Science 5 ( 2015 ) 243 – 246
3. Results and discussion
The results of quantification of total phosphorus conte
nt in raw meat are shown in Table 1 and Fig. 1.
Table 1. Total phosphorus content in raw meat.
Total phosphorous content in raw meat
g/kg ± SD
Pork ham
Pork neck
MSM
Back bacon
Pork shoulder
Turkey fillet
Turkey
drumsticks
4.22 ± 0.93
2.89 ± 1.58
2.84 ± 0.97
1.71
1.65 ± 0.7
1.89
1.41
SD – standard deviation
Fig. 1. Total phosphorus content in raw meat.
The highest value of total phosphorus content (expressed as P
2
O
5
) was found in pork ham 4.22 ± 0.93 g/kg, and
the lowest total phosphorus content was found in turkey drumsticks 1.41 g/kg, which is a lower value than the one
pu
blished by Serdar and Katalenić
3
( 0.4711% P
2
O
5
).
Total phosphorus content (expressed as P
2
O
5
) found in pork neck was 2.89 ± 1.58 g/kg, and a very similar value
is found in MSM (2.84 ± 0.97 g/kg). Lower total phosphorus content was found in back bacon meat (1.71 g/kg),
pork
shoulder (1.65 ± 0.7 g/kg) and turkey fillet (1.89 g/kg).
4. Conclusion
A basic principle of usage of additives in production of m
eat products is that they are allowed if the added
quantity is technologically justified. Also, with the addition of additives, the consumer must not be misled about the
real natu
re of the components or nutritional value of the product
3
.
Our results obtained showed the total phosphorus content in different samples of raw, technologically
u
nprocessed meat, and they also revealed a wide range in total phosphorus content (from 1.41 g/kg to 4.22 ± 0.93
g/kg).
Based on the obtained results, our recommendation to the manufacturers of meat products is that before
produ
cing any kind of meat product, the total phosphorus content must be known in the raw meat starting material.

246 Nadezda Prica et al. / Procedia Food Science 5 ( 2015 ) 243 – 246
With this knowledge, it would be easier to calculate the amount of synthetic phosphates and polyphosphates which
will be added as additive for the better feature of meat product. T
herefore, the aggregate value of added and natural
phosphorus would always be within the limit of the value prescribed by law (8 g/kg).
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education
, Science and Technological Development,
Republic of Serbia, Project number TR 31084.
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