Practical Application of Soy Protein Isolates Edible Coating for Improving the Quality Characteristics of Pastirma

Packaging fruits and vegetables in edible coatings is frequently used worldwide; however, the use of such innovative technology is somewhat limited in the meat industry. Therefore, the primary goal of the current study was to improve the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of one of the most well-known traditional dry-cured beef products (pastirma). To accomplish the aforementioned goal, 270 deep-frozen semitendinosus muscles were used to prepare pastirma. The traditional coating materials (çemen) were then applied to half of the produced product, while soy protein isolate coating was applied to the other half. All produced pastirma were kept at 5 °C for 4 weeks and investigated weekly for weight loss, pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), optical color indexes, proximate chemical analysis, salt and nitrite content, sensory characteristics, and microbial counts. The outstanding findings showed that samples coated with soy protein isolate had better sensory qualities, less moisture loss, a decrease in the overall number of bacteria, and a strong antioxidant impact. In conclusion, meat processors may find that soy protein isolate coating is a useful option for resolving preservation problems that appeared with conventional pastirma coatings.