The texture of cooked meat is generally considered to be affected by
heat-induced changes in connective tissue, soluble proteins and
myofibrilar proteins (Zayas & Naewbanij, 1986). In comminuted meat
products, however, these texture related attributes are closely related
to the functionality of muscle proteins particularly their gel-forming
and emulsification properties which are influenced by the presence
of non-meat ingredients (Coggins, 2007). The cooking process
increased (p b 0.05) hardness, gumminess and chewiness and decreased
(p b 0.05) the springiness.