Audrey Rangel
McNair Scholar 2024
- Major(s): Animal Science (Pre-Vet)
- Classification: Senior
- Anticipated Graduation Date: Spring 2025
- Career Aspirations: After attaining a bachelor’s degree, Audrey plans to pursue a master’s degree in animal science, possibly with an emphasis in meat science. Following that, she hopes to attend veterinary school.
"My favorite parts of the McNair Scholars experience have been conducting research alongside my mentor and creating long-lasting bonds with my cohort. Mrs. Salas and Kirbi have also helped make my experience memorable thanks to their continuous guidance and encouragement. I truly believe that this program has equipped me with the tools and skills needed to succeed in any graduate program I choose to pursue.”
“Impact of Sodium Bicarbonate upon Texture, Sensory Ratings, Cooked Color, and pH of Ground Beef Patties”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Trent Schwartz
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of sodium bicarbonate inclusion on ground beef patties. Raw 80/20 ground beef was mixed with NaHCO3 at varying inclusion rates and treatments were set at: 0% (control), 0.25%, 0.50% and 1.0%. Because of its chemical composition, as inclusion rates progressed, the addition of sodium bicarbonate caused a significant increase (p < 0.001) in pH of ground beef patty samples. Allo-Kramer shear force values decreased (p < 0.050) as sodium bicarbonate inclusion increased, indicating an improvement in tenderness. As the amount of sodium bicarbonate inclusion increased, overall juiciness increased (p < 0.002) and cook loss values significantly decreased (p < 0.001). L* values progressively decreased through each treatment (p < 0.001), suggesting that as sodium bicarbonate inclusion increased, lightness values decreased. Furthermore, as sodium bicarbonate inclusion increased, beef patties retained an ideal red color (higher a* values) for a longer period, thus improving color-life. Although b* values were significant across treatment, there were no underlying trends that were distinguishable. Sensory characteristics such as beef odor, beef flavor identity, and beef flavor intensity were all negatively impacted as sodium bicarbonate inclusion rate increased (p < 0.001). The results of this study indicate that sodium bicarbonate inclusion can improve tenderness and color-life of ground beef. However, at higher inclusion rates, physiochemical traits are severely impacted, thus creating a negative eating experience. Sodium bicarbonate can be used as a valuable tool to improve ground beef products; however, inclusion rate must be closely monitored.