Product Description
Transglutaminase (TG), better known to chefs as â??Meat Glue,â?? which is widely distributed in nature, is an enzyme with the revolutionary ability to improve the physical properties of various protein containing foods.
TG is produced through fermentation process which is similar to making beer, wine and cheese, using conventional microorganisms.
TG is not active in the stomach, which is characterized by acidic pH, and that TG is completely degraded by pepsin. TG is a safe food enzyme which has been utilized in Europe for more than 15 years and approved in numerous other regions, including, but not limited to, U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Japan, Korea, China and Thailand. Technologies of TG are used in processed meat/fish, combined quality meat/fish products, dairy products and bakery products.
Typically TG works within the protein of food materials, and contributes to improving texture properties. In case TG is used to combine quality meat/fish parts, TG works to the proteins which are added to the food applications. TG itself does not combine meat/fish parts. This is basically possible with TG and liquefied proteins. There is no technological function or effect of enzyme in the final product.TG does not affect the taste of food.
TG is active within a wide pH range (pH 5-8). It is stable up to a temperature of 40â??.Above 75â??the enzyme looses its activity within a few minutes if used at usual dosages. The use of the TG offers various benefits to food companies and final consumers. In bakery and milk products, it improves texture. In process meat products, such as emulsified sausage and cooked ham, it improves texture and increases connectivity, thus decreasing loss during manufacturing process. In meat and fish, it enables combining quality parts of meat/fish, decreasing loss and waste, and consequently reducing pricing of the final products. It also replaces binding agents such as salt, allowing consumers to benefit from a lower salt intake.
Because there is no technological function in the final products, TG is legally to be assessed as a processing aid, not as a food additive in many countries. There is no labeling required for final foods containing TG, only with regard to the use in raw meat or raw meat products, a labeling could be necessary.
