Determination of soya protein in model meat products using image analysis

The addition of plant proteins into meat products is nowadays a commonly used practice especially for the technological and economical reasons. Their properties have been known and used in meat products production for a long time. In the past, wheat protein or flour had been used most frequently, however, in these days they are being replaced by soya protein which has much more favourable properties in its use. Considering the possible misuse of raw materials of plant origin for the adulteration of meat products, the existence of highly sensitive and accurate procedures for their detection is needed including the determination of their content. Soya protein can be detected using various methods. In our work, an immunohistochemical method was used with image analysis for the quantification of soya protein. Model meat products with the addition of known amounts of soya protein in various forms were made for this experiment.