Transglutaminase Failures

[KosherDIY]

I purchased transglutaminase - Moo Gloo TI from modernistpantry.com - twice, and I have failed to get any adhesion at all from it. They have been extremely understanding both times and refunded my money, but I really just want to get it to work. I am using TI because I keep strictly kosher - I understand that it doesn't bond as wide a range as RM.

 

I have tested the TG multiple times by taking fresh chicken cutlets and attempting to bind them with varying amounts of powder, and even with a slurry. I have either wrapped them tightly in plastic wrap (torchon) or vacuum sealed them with a chamber sealer. I left the tests to bond for 24 hours in the refrigerator. It appears that the only result is drawing water out of the meat, but that might be the vacuum. The pieces do not bond at all.

 

Is there something I am missing here? I know someone who is having success with Moo Gloo TI & kosher meat, so I don't think that is the problem. FWIW, I don't detect any "wet dog" odor when I rub the TG into a piece of chicken, but the people at modernistpantry.com say that they have found that to be an unreliable test, with many people not being able to smell anything.

 

Thanks,

SJW

[Tri2Cook]

Is Modernist Pantry getting smaller packaging through an arrangement with the manufacturer or do they buy the same larger packages everyone else can buy and repackage it? The shelf life on that stuff once opened and exposed to the air is not all that long. Even unopened original packaging suggests something like a year for shelf life (with Activa, I'm unfamiliar with moo gloo). If they bought a lot initially and have had it around for a long time or repackage it themselves and don't see a pretty fast turnover, it's probably just dead. I'm not saying that's what's happening, I don't know their purchasing or turnover information, just a possibility.

[Indy D]

I don't have experience with it myself, but I do know that the TI lacks sodium caseinate, which the RM has. In the description for it on the Cooking Issues blog, David Arnold mentions that the RM "is designed to bond even problem foods like chicken breasts and cooked meats" [1]. This implies that chicken breast is not an easy application for meat glue for some reason.

 

You might need to supplement the TG with another protein. Gelatin seems to be a common choice, but I don't know if you can find kosher gelatin.

 

[1] http://www.cookingissues.com/transglutaminase-aka-meat-glue/index.html#section3

[btbyrd]

A possible issue with making slurries with TI is that blending it into water can incorporate a lot of air into the mixture which weakens strength of the bond. You can pull the air out of the mixture with a chamber vacuum machine if you have access to one.

 

You might need to supplement the TG with another protein. Gelatin seems to be a common choice, but I don't know if you can find kosher gelatin.

 

The Great Lakes company makes Kosher gelatin from beef. Their products are widely available online. I know Wylie Dufresne uses gelatine a lot in TG preparations and that he uses TI most of the time.

Edited March 2, 2015 by btbyrd (log)

[btbyrd]

The TG in Activa is produced via bacterial fermentation and Activa TI is certified Kosher.

Edited March 3, 2015 by btbyrd (log)