High freeze-thaw stability of Pickering emulsion stabilized by WPI-carboxymethyl cellulose particles and its effect on frozen pork patties as a fat substitute

This study investigated the freeze-thaw (FT) stability of whey protein isolate-carboxymethyl cellulose (WPI-CMC) Pickering emulsions (PEs) and their performance as fat substitutes in pork patties under repeated FT cycles. The PE containing 0.6% CMC exhibited superior FT stability, characterized by uniform droplet size, low creaming index, and phase separation resistance, resulting from a dense interfacial film that mitigated ice crystal damage. In pork patties, substituting 50%-75% of pork fat with PEs significantly improved quality during FT cycles. After five cycles, the 75% substitution group exhibited significantly enhanced water-holding capacity, as evidenced by 41.5% lower thawing loss and 30.2% reduced expressible moisture, along with inhibited lipid and protein oxidation, demonstrated by 45.5% lower TBARS and 38.6% fewer carbonyl groups, thereby maintaining superior texture stability. However, 100% substitution impaired performance due to excessive cross-linking disrupting protein networks. Overall, WPI-CMC PEs (formulated with 0.6% CMC), particularly at 75% fat substitution, provide a promising strategy for the development of low-fat, freeze-thaw-stable meat products.