Effect of Oat β-Glucan on Gel Properties of Low-Salt Mutton Mince

Oat β-glucan (OG) was used to replace salt in mutton mince at levels of 0%, 0.4%, 0.8%, 1.2% and 1.6%. To determine the appropriate level of OG replacement, the cooking loss, water-holding capacity (WHC), water distribution and content, color, gel strength, texture, secondary structure of myofibrillar protein, scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of mince samples with 2.0% salt, 0.4% OG + 1.6% salt, 0.8% OG + 1.2% salt, 1.2% OG + 0.8% salt and 1.6% OG + 0.4% salt were measured. The results showed that with increasing level of OG replacement, the cooking loss of mutton mince gels decreased first and then increased gradually, while the WHC showed the opposite trend. A significant decrease in the WHC was observed when 1.6% OG was added (P 0.05). The secondary structure of myofibrillar protein in the gel with high levels of OG replacement (> 0.8%) was similar to that in the control (P > 0.05), and the SEM image showed more loose structure with increased porosity. Through correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), it was found that the synthetic score of the gel with 0.4% OG was higher than that of the other groups, which could ensure further reduction of salt intake while maintaining the gel quality of mutton mince.