FST 4822

LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY AND

TECHNOLOGY OF PLANT AND ANIMAL
PRODUCTS

MEAT BASED LAB:

PROCESSING OF BEEF BALLS

GROUP : GROUP 6
GROUP MEMBERS :
TEY CHEE SENG 137999
SITI FARHIAH BINTI ABDUL MANAN 136430
FARHANA YUSOF 136499
NUR BAITI SOFYUDDIN 136786
AMINAH LET 137176
FARHAH IZZATI SHUKOR 137259
YONG XIANGPEI 138713
SEE HUI YONG 138835

PROGRAM : BACHELOR OF FOOD SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY
LAB : MAKMAL PEMPROSESAN &
MAKMAL BIOKIMIA
DATE : 27TH OGOS 2008
LECTURER: PROFESSOR MADYA DR. AZIS ARIFFIN
Introduction:

A meatball is generally a mass of grounded meat and other ingredients, such as

bread or breadcrumbs, minced onion, various spices, and possibly eggs, cooked by
frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many kinds of meatball make
using different kinds of meats and spices. How one makes meatballs depends as much on
one's cultural background as on individual taste. There are even "meatless" meatballs to
satisfy vegetarian palates (Hsu and Yu, 1999).
Meatballs are normally made by grinding muscle tissues, fat, salt and other
ingredients with a cutter, meat pounder or stone grinder. Therefore, it is an emulsified
meat product (Hsu and Yu, 1999). The technical basis for the production of the beef ball
is perhaps very similar to the fish ball whereby the texture of the product is contributed
by the formation of a stable network between proteins and starch molecules. The
solubilization of the protein occurs in the presence of sodium chloride (Lab Manual
2008).
Meatball is a very popular meat product. However, it is becoming a health
concern for consumers because of its high lipid content which is greater than 30% of its
total weight. Therefore, Hsu an Yu done a series of studies in developing low-fat
meatball. Water was used to replace some fat ingredient in the study and phosphates were
adopted to improve qualities of the low-fat products (Hsu and Yu, 1999).
This experiment was designed to let students understand the processing of beef
ball and to discover the effects of added starch on the characteristics of the beef balls.

Experiment 1: The Processing of Beef ball

Experiment 1a: The Effect of Added Starch on the Characteristic of the Beef ball
Equipments and Utensils:
Meat Grinder
Silent Bowl Cutter
Forming Machine (optional)
Utensils for washing (e.g basin and sieves)
PH meter
Moisture meter
Balance
Ingredients and Chemical:
Beef 1.0kg
Salt 20g
Sugar 5g
Corn starch 100g (optional- only for experiment 1a)
Tripolyphosphate 25g
Garlic 2.5g
Black pepper 2.5g
Ice 50g

Procedure
All the ingredients were weighed accurately

The meat was cut into cube by using meat cutter

The beef was washed and the meat was grind by using meat grinder

Salt was added and mixed for 10 to 15 minute

Corn starch, polyphosphate, ice and the rest of ingredients were gradually added to the
mixture

The ingredient was mixed for another 10 minute

The mixture was shaped into balls by using forming machine and the product was frozen.

Analysis
The sensory evaluation (texture, flavor, overall acceptability), determination of moisture
content and the pH of the fresh meat and the beef balls. At the same time, the yield of
beef balls also determined.
Results and Analysis:

Table 1: The yield of beef balls, pH, moisture content, and sensory evaluation of
fresh meat and beef balls with different formulations.

Control Added Corn Starch

(Group 1, 2, and 3) (Group 4, 5, and 6)
Fresh meat Beef balls Fresh meat Beef balls
Yield of beef balls – 86.31% – 95.16%
pH 6.47 6.68 5.39 6.64
Moisture content 38.70% 54.60% 50.20% 57.90%

Sensory Evaluation:
Texture score – 3 – 2
Flavour score – 2 – 2
Overall acceptability – 3 – 2

Key:
For texture score:
1 – very springy, 2 – springy, 3 – neither springy or soft, 4 – slight soft, 5 – very soft
For flavour and overall acceptability score:
1 – very acceptable, 2 – acceptable, 3 – least acceptable
 PERCENTAGE OF YIELD OF BEEF BALLS WITH DIFFERENT
FORMULATIONS

96.00%
94.00%
Percentage of Yield

92.00%
90.00%
88.00% Yield of Beef Balls
86.00%
84.00%
82.00%
80.00%
Control Added Corn starch
Formulation

Graph 1: The percentage of yield of beef balls with different formulations. The
percentage of yield of the beef balls with added corn starch gave higher value than that
of control beef balls. This may due to the degree of wastage during the processing of the
beef balls.

pH OF FRESH MEAT AND BEEF BALLS WITH DIFFERENT

FORMULATIONS

8
7
6
5
Fresh Meat
pH

4
Beef Balls
3
2
1
0
Control Added Corn starch
Formulation

Graph 2: The pH of fresh meat and beef balls with different formulations. The pH of beef
balls of different formulations showed very similar pH value to each other. The pH of
fresh meat and beef balls with added corn starch showed higher difference than those of
control. This may due to the corn starch that present in the ingredients.
 MOISTURE CONTENT OF FRESH MEAT AND BEEF BALLS
WITH DIFFERENT FORMULATIONS

70.00%
60.00%
Moisture Content

50.00%
40.00% Fresh Meat
30.00% Beef Balls
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Control Added Corn starch
Formulation

Graph 3: The moisture content of fresh meat and beef balls with different formulations.
The moisture content of both fresh meat and beef balls with added corn starch showed
higher values than those of control respectively. This may due to the water holding
capacity of the fresh meat and beef balls.

THE SENSORY SCORES FOR BEEF BALLS WITH

DIFFERENT FORMULATIONS

3.5
3
2.5
Scores

2 Control
1.5 Added Corn Starch
1
0.5
0
Texture Flavour Overall
Acceptability
Sensory Characteristics

Graph 4: The sensory scores on texture, flavour, and overall acceptability of the beef
balls with different formulations. The scores for texture and overall acceptability of
control beef balls are higher than that of beef balls with added corn starch. This may due
to the ingredients added.
Discussions:

This experiment was conducted to observe and understand the processing for the
production of beef balls and the effects of the addition of corn starch to the beef balls
productions. In this experiment, red meat (e.g., beef meat) was used to produce beef balls.
During the experiment, we were given two attributes to be observed, one with mixture
added with corn starch and the other one is the control mixture which is not added with
any corn starch. Thus, several details or properties that we observed to the beef ball
mixture such as the yield of the beef balls, the pH, the moisture content and the sensory
evaluation of the beef balls produced.
Based on the result obtained from the experiment, it could be observed that the
percentage of yield for beef balls was higher for added corn starch in the mixture of beef
balls which was 95.16% of yield compared to the control meat balls which was not added
with any corn starch and produced 86.13% percentage of yield. The differences of
percentage of yield between both mixtures was due to the properties of corn starch which
capable of expanding the yield of the mixture.
Next properties that we observed to the beef balls production is the pH value for
both beef balls products. Both control and added corn starch beef balls showed not much
significant difference of their pH value. This might be due to corn starch that did not give
any effect on the pH value on the beef balls products and hence the pH value showed not
much difference. Our next analysis that we observed was the moisture content for both
beef products. The moisture content analysis was carried out using oven method and the
analysis was done to both samples. It was shown that the moisture content of beef balls
added with corn starch was 57.90% which is higher than beef balls without any addition
of corn starch was 54.60%. The moisture content of the beef balls with corn starch added
was high due to the properties of the corn starch itself which capable of retaining the
moisture in the mixture. Hence it gave high moisture content reading due to the moisture
retained in the mixture.
To produce beef balls of good quality, sugars and salts should not be omitted from
the formulations. This is because both sugars and salts have their own functional
properties and characteristics, which can improve the quality of manufactured beef balls.
While processing beef balls, salts must be added in them as salts function as the improver
of the proteins in the beef balls. Salts, such as sodium chloride can enhance the role of
proteins by adhering restructured meat pieces to give a good binding. Water retention in
beef balls is also important because good water retention can make the beef balls juicier
and tenderer. Hence, with the addition of salts, salts can help to retain water molecules in
the beef balls. Other than that, salts can also reduce cooking loss and this is an advantage
of adding salts as the beef balls processed in this laboratory will be boiled at later stage.
When salts are added to beef balls, myosin depolymerizes and actomyosin dissociates to
allow the expansion of myofibrillar lattice. With this expansion, more water can be
retained and weight loss of cooking can also be reduced. Other than that, the
depolymerization of myosin and dissociation of actomyosin can cause adhesion on
cooking. The constituent meat pieces can be bound together with the assistance of
solubilized proteins as these solubilized proteins can gell with the presence of salts.
Sugar should not be omitted from the formulation because sugars can prevent the
granules from clumping together and also omit the formation of lumps. As a result, sugars
must be added in the beef balls to allow the occurrence of individual swelling. Individual
swelling is important because sugar can physically separate the starch granules and acts
as separating agent. In addition, sugar can also contribute to the sweet taste especially
when a higher amount of sugars are added. Apart from giving sweet taste when a
considerable amount is added, sugars also do not degrade the structure of the meat and
improves the organoleptic properties, especially the taste.
Starch is popular for its versatile use in foods. Starch has gelling properties and it
is able to thicken the food and bind water to which it is added in. In this experiment,
cornstarch was used. Cornstarch is the starch made from endosperm of corn, which is
comprised of amylose and amylopectin. With the presence of heat in water, a viscous,
opaque paste is formed. It has the functions as mentioned above. It gells in the food to
which it is added and acts as a thickener. In beef balls, cornstarch can act as fat replacer
too. Starch in beef balls can give mouthfeel attributes when they are consumed. This is
because the amylose chains in starch can form helical or spherical shapes, which hold
water molecules and thus provide bulk. Apart from that, the mouthfeel and viscosity
impacted by cornstarch can also take place when the cornstarch is hydrolysed. Hence, the
maltodextrin formed as a result of hydrolysis of starch can contribute to the use of lower
fat content in some foods as well as to obtain the effect of mouthfeel exerted by fats and
oils. Apart from that, cornstarch can also act as flavor carrier, which enhance the flavor of
beef balls and thus increases its palatability.
 Tripolyphosphate is a widely used preservative in seafood, meats and poultry. The
addition of tripopyphoaphate in the beef balls of this laboratory had increased the amount
of water they could retain. This was shown by the moisture content of control fresh meat
and beef balls and also fresh meat and beef balls added with cornstarch. Both the control
and cornstarch added beef balls had higher moisture content than the control and
cornstarch added fresh meat. A difference of 15.9% moisture content and 7.7% moisture
content was found between both fresh meat and beef balls. Thus, from the comparison of
moisture content above, tripolyphosphate has an effect in retaining moisture content in
beef balls. It increases the water-holding capacity of meats. This hydration of water in
meat can be influenced by pH changes, ionic strength effect and specific phosphate
anions interaction with divalent cations and myofibrillar proteins. Apart from acting as a
moisture control agent, tripolyohosphate can also form a stable emulsion, where in this
experiment, after cooking the beef balls, tripolyphosphate can also contribute to the
cohesive network of coagulated proteins. Other than that, tripolyphosphate can also
increase the palatability of the beef balls in terms of color, flavor and tenderness.
Finally, the sensory evaluation was done to the beef balls to identify consumer’s
preference and this evaluation is important in evaluating the characteristics of the
products. Generally for beef balls characteristic evaluation, beef balls should have good
appearance, firm texture and good taste which may be much preferable by the consumer.
As for this sensory evaluation, we carried out the evaluation among all the group
members and the evaluation was based on the texture, the flavor and the overall
acceptability of the beef balls. Based on the results of the sensory evaluation, most of our
group member preferred the texture of the control beef balls which was not added with
corn starch mainly because the texture of beef balls with addition of corn starch was
slightly soft and the texture was not preferable. For flavor of the meat balls for both
attribute, our group members like both of the products because both of the product taste
were quite the same. As for the last evaluation was the overall acceptability of the beef
balls and the results showed that our group prefer control beef balls compared to beef
balls with added corn starch.
Inferences
1. Different addition of ingredients namely corn starch and tripolyphosphate (TPP)
into the beef ball mixture will result in different texture characteristic of the beef
ball. It can contribute to higher viscosity in beef balls and thus increase the
mouthfeel of beef balls.

2. Beef balls added with cornstarch give higher yield.

3. Tripolyphosphate and salts have the function in beef balls processing, where they
act to retain moisture in the beef balls and contribute to the better texture in beef
balls.

4. pH of meat and beef ball are almost the same.

5. The sensory evaluation is important in evaluating the characteristic of the product.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the quality of processed beef balls can be enhanced by adding
different type of ingredients for each of their special functional properties. The beef balls
with added cornstarch gained preference from most consumers as these beef balls had
higher moisture content which might contribute to the juiciness of the beef balls. In
addition, cornstarch added beef balls also had higher quality in terms of texture and
flavor. It has more viscous texture and most acceptable flavor.

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