1. Poor Binding
| POSSIBLE CAUSES | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Mince size of meat too large. | This may produce a chunky looking burger, which after cooking, will crumble on cutting. Burgers are usually minced through a 5mm plate prior to forming. |
| (b) Insufficient functional meat. | Burgers containing too much head meat, MRM or fat may not achieve sufficient binding. Maximum of 28% fat in 80% burger and 21% fat in 60% burger. A proportion of flank lean beef, shoulder or belly may be added to increase functional meat content. Note that 80% burgers must be of named meat. |
| (c) Phosphate not being used. | The use of phosphates will help the binding characteristics particularly in economy burgers. Phosphates enhance the action of salt to produce a sticky mix. Advise use of Lucas seasonings containing phosphate. |
| (d) Water lost during manufacture. | Certain methods of manufacture such as mixing and grinding may not incorporate all the recipe water, this means that the extenders are not fully hydrated and the mix may become crumbly. In such cases it is recommended to re-hydrate extenders and other additives in the recipe water for about 15 minutes. Rusk – 1:2 water Newgrits – 1:3 water Newpro – 1:3 water Kibbled Onion – 1:3 water |
2. Burgers are Rubbery
| POSSIBLE CAUSES | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Almost invariably due to over mixing. | It is important to remember that mixing, mincing and forming put a lot of work into the burger mixture: |
| 1. Mixing should be very light, enough to disperse added ingredients but not so much as to create a sticky mass. | |
| 2. Meats are usually minced 10mm or mechanically chipped to this approximate size ready for mixing. After mixing (1. above) the meats are usually reminced through a 5mm plate ready for forming. It is this remincing in particular which binds the mix together. | |
| 3. There are a variety of machines for forming burgers but all of them put work into the mixture. The former should ideally finish off the mixing. Forming should not take place at too high a pressure. | |
| (b) Production temperature too high. | If the production temperature is too high, emulsions are formed too early and the mixture binds together into a sticky mass. Meat ready for mixing or chopping should be semi-frozen. Water should be added as an ice/water mix. Ingredients that are pre-hydrated should be done so in a chiller. |
| (c) Protein Isolates/Concentrates. | In burgers with lower meat contents, e.g. Economy Burgers, protein concentrates such as Newpro may be used at about 2%. In burgers with higher meat contents, such proteins may bind the meats together too efficiently leading to rubbery products. In such cases the usage rate of Newpro may be???????????? |
3. Colour Loss
| POSSIBLE CAUSES | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Product does not contain Antioxidant/preservative/colour. | Antioxidant will help prevent colour variation and browning. Preservative will control bacterial growth which may lead to colour variation. Colour will enhance the appearance of burgers. Check whether seasoning contains any of these additives or contact Lucas for advice. |
| (b) Lack of Air. | Air keeps meat looking red, if the air is reduced, as it is between stacks of burgers, the meat tends to become dull. |
| (c) Presence of fresh or kibbled onion. | This has the effect of making meats go green/brown. This problem can be eased by using a seasoning that contains onion powder. |
| (d) Freezer burn. | Product which is frozen without any plastic wrapping is liable to dry out and turn brown. Products should be protected as necessary. |
| (e) Nitrite contamination. | This may occur if curing is taking place in the same area as burger manufacture. Burgers appear pink when cooked. Ensure all equipment used for burger production is clean and dry. For washing equipment with suspected nitrite contamination a 2% solution of ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate is recommended (handful to a bucket of cold water). |
4. Colour Loss
| POSSIBLE CAUSES | COMMENT AND ACTION |
| (a) Fat Loss. | Fat is always lost from a burger on cooking. The amount lost depends on the initial mixing and ingredients used. See 1. (b) and 2. (a) Fat loss and shrinkage can be controlled by: – |
| 1. Using Newpro, see 2. (c). | |
| 2. Using Solus plain brown mince at between 2 and 5%. Solus requires pre-hydrating and is added with seasoning. | |
| 3. Using Newgrits at between 2 and 5%. Newgrits may or may not be pre-hydrated and can be added with seasoning or towards the end of mixing. | |
| (b) Water Loss. | Water loss during cooking is generally accompanied by spitting fat. Water is lost from the burger if it is not fully absorbed into the mix. See 1. (d). Along with the products in 4. (a), DYR and Superfine Rusk will absorb excess water. |
| (c) High lean meat content. | Although such burgers may not necessarily shrink on cooking, they are more prone to deformation. This may be controlled by mincing the burger mix through a 5mm plate after mixing but prior to forming. See 2.(a). |