that the addition of oat bran had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on
pH in beef patties. Gelling properties of the myofibrillar proteins
(MPs) depend upon pH. At the isoelectric point (pI), proteins have a
net charge of zero and retain the least amount of water. Most
proteins aggregate and are least soluble at their pI. This results in
poor gels or even prevents gel formation. Aggregation of proteins
prior to heating inhibits gel formation by MPs, and its extent depends
basically upon the electrostatic charge on the molecules,
which in turn is affected by pH and ionic strength. The optimum pH
for gelation is reported to be within the range of 6.5e7.5 (Park et al.,
2013) and the pH for this study was found to lie between these
ranges.