Temperature-dependent properties of fat in adipose tissue from pork, beef and lamb. Part 2: rheology and texture.

Matching the texture of fat in plant-based meat alternatives requires an in-depth understanding of the rheology of animal adipose tissue which, to-date, remains under-studied. Here, we characterised the small and large deformation behaviour of back fat from pork, beef, and lamb, with the underlying goal being the establishment of the temperature-dependent structure-function relationship governing the texture and rheology of adipose tissue. The dynamic rheological behaviour of the back fats was characterised frequency and amplitude sweeps and large amplitude oscillatory strain (LAOS), as well as texture analysis puncture tests.

Temperature-dependent properties of fat in adipose tissue from pork, beef and lamb. Part 1: microstructural, thermal, and spectroscopic characterisation.

We investigated the temperature-dependent microstructure and thermal properties of back fat adipose tissue from pork, beef and lamb. Microstructural characterisation electron, confocal and light microscopy showed that the back fats were structurally similar and consisted of fat dispersed as discrete units within a protein matrix akin to a closed cell foam. Differential scanning calorimetry showed distinct fat melting profiles for each of the tissues, which were ascribed to differences in fatty acid profile.