Scientists refer to the meat glue as transglutaminase, which is a useful enzyme utilized in the food industry. Its main purpose is to stick meat pieces together to form coarse portions; it is an adhesive. If you have been wondering if one can use other substances instead of meat glue, then you are at the right place.
You need to understand that meat glue is also responsible for enhancing the texture of the meat products i.e., chicken nuggets or sausages. For this reason, this article will equip you with 3 Ingredients You Can Use Instead of Meat glue. In short, at the end of the report you will be able to utilize alternative substances if there is no meat glue.
Our guide will look at some recommendable ingredients, one can use instead of meat glue like sodium Caseinate, carrageenan, and gelatin.
What is the nature of meat glue?
You can get meat glue by nurturing bacteria, coming from the blood plasma. It’s mainly found in pork and meat. However, you can still get this enzyme in a number of vegetables and plants. This means that you still source it from non-meat environments. The main function of the enzyme is to join several meat pieces and develop desired shapes.
Additionally, the glue is useful in securing wrappings to other meat pieces like bacon, ham, chicken skin, etc. Many food industries not only utilize it in meat, but also in processed foods. Adhesive properties should therefore be possessed by good strong meat glue.
Three Ingredients You Can Use Instead of meat glue
Before we kick off today’s main agenda, I want to inform you that there’s no other substitute with robust adhesive properties like the meat glue. But you can give trials to other healthier options to meet your desires. This implies that you don’t have to worry in case you don’t have meat glue; stick around the following three options and never regret.
From the introductory part, the three meat glue substitutes are sodium Caseinate, Carrageenan and Gelatin.
1. Sodium Caseinate
The first option that you should invest in is Sodium Caseinate instead of meat glue. This substance is not only healthy, but will also stick your meat pieces together to form desired shapes or sizes. The main source of this substance is the casein which is the essential protein in the milk of a cow; in fact it’s this substance that gives the milk its white color.
Extracting sodium caseinate from skimmed milk will stabilize and enhance the texture of your foodstuffs. Sodium caseinate is mostly utilized in dairy products such as ice cream, cheese, creamers etc. despite being useful in such applications; you can still apply the substitute on processed meats in absence of meat glue.
How Sodium Caseinate works;
Sodium caseinate has the ability to absorb water, making it useful in improving and changing food texture.
The substance also tries to minimize oil and fat levels in your processed meat plus other cured foodstuffs. Though its adhesive power is questionable, it remains one of the reliable and healthier substitutes in cases you don’t have meat glue.
2. Gelatin
This substance is usually used together with the meat glue to make the pieces of meat stick together. But, you don’t necessarily need the meat glue; you can use it alone. Gelatin comes in two different forms i.e., liquid and powder.
How to use gelatin as meat glue substitute;
Step 1: You should consider boiling the liquid before using it. After heating the liquid, the next thing will be to mix it with water.
Step 2: Apply gelatin powder. You are supposed to use Gelatin powder at the end of the sausages curing process before placing them in the case. Using gelatin powder is a highly recommendable meat glue alternative since it features various health benefits.
For instance, it comes with high collagen and protein levels, sourced from boiled animal cartilage and bones. Besides, Gelatin has a lot of minerals like selenium and copper and one can mix it with other substances like onion powder, garlic powder, or spices and salts.
Step 3: After applying the gelatin substance to your mix, remember to refrigerate your meat so as to make all the pieces sticky.
Step 4: Remove the exterior coating of the gelatin. You should do so after confirming that your meat is completely prepared. However, you should not forget to leave enough gelatins for sticking the crust to your mean uniformly.
3. Carrageenan
Here is another alternative that many people have confirmed to work best in place of meat glue. The substance comes from palatable red seaweeds and is used by many people in the food industry. It boasts the ability to stabilize and thicken the meat texture, making it loved by many in the meat and dairy industry.
You may decide to use semi-refined or refined carrageenan since the variants are useful in making meat. We recommend using this alternative since it improves the texture and quality of the meat. On the other hand, it increases the yeast and water binding properties, necessary for sticking meat pieces together.
Another advantage of using carrageenan is that it can help accommodate moisture in your meat. It also works extra hard to combine nutritious proteins. Remember, you can use carrageenan on a wide range of applications like smoked products, poultry sausages, chicken, hamburgers, frankfurters, or minced meat foodstuffs.
Carrageenan is readily available and can be the best alternative for meat glue; see, you don’t need meat glue. Give a trial to this option and continue enjoying life.
Tips on betterment
- When using liquid gelatin, boiling is a must before mixing it with water solutions if you want to get better results.
- Meat glue works in a way that meat pieces are bonded together to form not only coarse shapes, but also give rise to a meat with enhanced taste and quality.
- Transglutaminase (meat glue) is sourced from pigs and cows plasma and formed as a result of bacterial fermentation.
- Big part of the meat industry depends on meat glue to ensure the meat pieces are bound together to achieve specific shape.
FAQs:
- Can I use mat glue in my restaurant?
Of course yes, this substance is essential in the dining industry. We have seen big hotels, restaurant chains, catered events investing in it. any place that serves large filet mignon amounts should consider utilizing the glue.
- How can one define food glue?
It is meat glue or transglutaminase. Food glue is a food substance used to enhance not only the texture, but also the appearance of your foodstuffs like in processed meats.
Final words
From the above observation, you can realize that even though the meat glue features robust adhesive properties, sometimes it tends to be unhealthy. For this reason, the article has tried to provide you with 3 Ingredients You Can Use Instead of Meat glue.
These options are healthier and reliable enough to enrich your meat with stunning taste, texture, and quality. The most widely used ingredient is Gelatin since it boasts rigid adhesive properties among the three substitutes. You are therefore free to choose one of your favorites from the three options. Sodium caseinate is famous for modifying the texture and quality of the meat products.