Effects of Reheating Conditions and Sodium Chloride/Phosphate Levels on Color Characteristics of Precooked Pork Patties

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of reheating methods on the color characteristics of precooked pork patties with various NaCl and phosphate levels. NaCl/phosphate levels for each formulation were as follows; N1 (1% NaCl), N1+P (1% NaCl+0.3% phosphate), N2 (2% NaCl), and N2+P (2% NaCl+0.3% phosphate). The reheating methods used were by electric grill and microwave oven. The surface color of the patties reheated by microwave showed more brown and less-intense red, and the phosphate-treated patties reheated by microwave were more reddish and less brownish. With increased amounts of added NaCl and phosphate, the internal color of patties was more reddish, and the phosphate-treated patties reheated by microwave had more brown than those reheated by electric grill. Among all of the treatments, there were no significant differences in surface color, internal color, and overall appearance. Thus, the color changes in reheated patties were influenced by reheating methods and phosphate.