ABSTRACT
One would assume that the smoking of foods could have a significant influence on their textural properties but one has difficulty in designing a valid experiment to investigate the problem. Several studies have clearly demonstrated that smoke source and/or application technique can also influence the textural properties of smoked foods. The formation of the crust also hinders the penetration of smoke constituents toward the center of the product, thus resulting in uneven distribution of color and flavor. Liquid smoke that was mixed with frankfurter emulsion produced a significantly softer product than the other liquid or solidsmoke applications. Essentially they found that Water-Holding Capacity (WHC) was inversely related to the concentration of carbonyls and phenols in smoked meat, and that pH was not significantly associated with WHC. However, care must be taken in the interpretation of smoke source vs. pH because the type of food smoked must also be considered.
