Effects of Pretreatment Conditions of Cattle Skin on the Quality of Beef Meatballs

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of using pretreated cattle skin as an ingredient in minced meat products. The effects of soaking temperature, sodium carbonate concentration, amount of iced water used during cow skin disruption, and amount of cow skin to beef on the texture characteristics, color, sensory score, yield of beef meatballs and pH of meat mince were investigated by one-at-a-time method. Furthermore, these parameters were optimized by response surface methodology. The results showed that the amounts of iced water and cow skin used significantly affected the sensory score and yield of beef meatballs (P < 0.05). The highest sensory score (82.9) and yield (120.5%) were obtained when 10% (m/m) sodium carbonate was added during cattle skin pretreatment, 219% (m/m) iced water was added during cow skin disruption, and 13% pretreated cattle skin was added to minced beef. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for further research on the effect of cow skin on the quality of beef meatballs.