Research on changes of raw meat in salting using acoustically activated brine

Research on the use of ultrasonic cavitation in the technology of meat products proves high efficiency in regard to the acceleration of technological processes. It is possible to obtain objective data on the forms of integration of moisture with the material applying the method of NMR relaxation using the device “Minispek PC-120” by Bruker Corporation (Germany) in conjunction with other research methods. Cooled low-fat pork, which is subjected to salting with saturated sodium chloride solution (1:3 ratio) after ultrasonic exposure by the frequency of 20 kHz and nameplate rating of 40 % in the production unit such as mercury-vapor console street lamp with piezoceramic radiator, is used as an object of research. Histological studies have shown that when salting meat the microstructural changes in the muscle fibers and connective tissue occur gradually in a certain sequence. Muscle fiber cross banding weakens gradually, the nuclei undergo pycnosis and become homogeneous. Destructive changes in muscle fibers are characterized by the gradual formation of transverse micro cracks and chinked spaces. When exposing the raw meat in the brine containing 3 % of sodium salt, the brine penetrates to a depth of 1.5 cm already on the first day; on the fourth day the brine spreads to the entire muscle depth. Salting brine containing 4% penetrates to a depth of 2.0 cm on the first day of salting, on the fourth day the brine spreads to the entire depth of the muscles. Results of the study of relaxation characteristics of water with the use of NMR method shows that the bulk of the water in the meat is distributed among the factions with the times T12 and T22, and the amount of water with the time T2b is small, and according to the results of many studies, is little subjected to changes. Conducted research has revealed that the use of the activated brine has a positive effect on the kinetics of salting and allows significantly reducing the duration of exposure of whole muscle raw materials in salting by increasing the intensity of the diffusion-osmotic processes.