Comparison of Three Commercial Collagen Mixtures: Quality Characteristics of Marinated Pork Loin Ham

Various commercial collagen mixtures aimed at improving the quality of meat products are available, but the optimal composition is unclear. This study aimed to compare the functional properties, including physicochemical characteristics and lipid oxidative stability, of loin ham marinated with three commercial collagen mixtures sold as food additives. The addition of collagen mixtures led to significant increases in the moisture content, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking yield, and instrumental tenderness, regardless of the type of collagen mixture. In particular, meat samples containing collagen mixture C showed the highest (p<0.05) WHC and tenderness among all groups. Furthermore, collagen mixture B induced increases (p<0.05) in pH values in both raw and cooked samples. The a* values of samples with collagen mixtures were lower (p<0.05) than those of samples without collagen mixtures. All collagen mixtures effectively improved oxidative stability during 7 days of storage at 4°C. The samples containing collagen mixture B had the lowest lipid oxidation (p<0.05) among groups. These results indicated that collagen mixture C could be used in injection brine to enhance the quality characteristics of meat products, particularly the WHC and tenderness. Collagen mixture A could be used for meat products with high fat contents based on its ability to improve lipid oxidative stability during long-term storage.