Factors affecting the composition and amount of ‘white exudate’ from cooked bacon

Bacon sometimes produces a white, unsightly fluid that exudes from the surfaces during cooking —a phenomenon that has resulted in frequent consumer complaints. The quantity of exudate from bacon of known history was assessed subjectively, by ranking photographs following ‘dry-frying’, and objectively, by collecting exudate in an ice cooled tray after grilling. Trained assessors ranked samples in order of visible exudate as follows: dry cured<Wiltshire cured<rapid cured bacon. Bacon that had been tempered prior to slicing produced more exudate that untempered bacon. Wiltshire cured bacon — made over a wide range of brine injection gains (9, 13 and 18%) and brine NaCl levels (6, 16 and 26%) and assessed 1, 2, 4 or 6 weeks after production — all produced some exudate, the amount of fluid released being positively related to bacon salt content. The highest losses were at 6 weeks. Cooked pork, sliced to 4 mm, also produced exudate, similar in composition and amount to that from bacon. The exudate contained 76–88% water, 80–130 mg/g protein and 2–6% NaCl, depending on the type of bacon and method of cooking. SDS–PAGE patterns of bacon exudate were similar to those of pork drip, suggesting it consists mainly of sarcoplasmic proteins. Traces of actin and myosin were detected but in much smaller quantities than expected.