2017 · Rigdon — Evaluation of Alkaline Electrolyzed Water to Replace Traditional Phosphate Enhancement Solutions: Effects on Water Holding Capacity, Tenderness, and Sensory Characteristics
Super-Abstract
Alkaline electrolyzed water was tested as a potential replacement for industrial phosphate-based pork enhancement solutions, and it performed worse: pork chops treated with alkaline electrolyzed water lost more moisture, and there was no improvement in tenderness or sensory qualities compared with the industry standard. This study is entirely about meat processing — it has no relevance to H₂ therapy or human health.
Commentary
This is a food science / meat technology study. The goal was to determine whether alkaline electrolyzed water (with a pH of approximately 11.5) could replace the industry-standard sodium tripolyphosphate and potassium lactate solutions used to enhance pork loins. The study tested four treatments on 64 pork loins and measured water-holding capacity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (a tenderness measure), and sensory attributes. The result was a clear null or negative finding for electrolyzed water: it did not hold water as well as phosphate solutions, and it did not improve tenderness or sensory scores. Alkaline electrolyzed water is occasionally mentioned in the hydrogen water literature because electrolyzing water does produce dissolved H₂ gas on the cathode side. However, in this study the focus is entirely on the alkaline (high-pH) chemistry for meat enhancement — H₂ as a bioactive molecule is irrelevant here. This study provides no health-relevant H₂ evidence.
Key quotes
- „The use of alkaline electrolyzed reduced water did not improve WBSF or sensory characteristics compared to IS treated chops.“ — the null finding for tenderness and sensory outcomes
- „As a stand-alone enhancement solution alkaline electrolyzed reduced water was not a suitable replacement for industry standard solutions.“ — the overall negative conclusion for meat processing applications
- „Despite its alkaline nature EOH chops exuded more water (P<0.05) than EOK, IS, or CON chops.“ — the negative finding for water-holding capacity — the primary meat quality measure
Our assessment
This study is not relevant to H₂ therapy or human health. It is a meat processing / food science study evaluating alkaline electrolyzed water as an industrial pork enhancer — and it found a negative result even for that purpose. The only connection to hydrogen is that electrolyzed water contains dissolved H₂, but this is not investigated or relevant here. Including this study in an H₂ health database appears to reflect a keyword-matching artefact. The results describe pork loin processing outcomes and cannot inform any position on H₂ as a bioactive molecule for human wellbeing.
Study design
- Type: food science / meat technology experiment · Model: 64 pork loins, four enhancement treatments · H₂ relevance: none — alkaline electrolyzed water evaluated as a pH-based meat enhancer, not for H₂ content
- Outcome: alkaline electrolyzed water increased water loss (negative result); no improvement in Warner-Bratzler shear force or sensory attributes vs. industry standard phosphate solution
Abstract
Sixty-four pork loins were randomly assigned to one of four treatments to evaluate the use of alkaline electrolyzed reduced water as a replacement for traditional enhancement solutions. Treatments included: alkaline electrolyzed reduced water (EOH; pH≈11.5), EOH plus 2.5% potassium-lactate (EOK), industry standard (IS; 0.35% sodium tri-polyphosphate, 0.14% sodium chloride, 2.5% potassium-lactate), and no enhancement (CON). After enhancement (targeting 110%) and rest period, chops were cut (2.54-cm) to test treatment effects on water holding capacity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and sensory attributes. Despite its alkaline nature EOH chops exuded more water (P<0.05) than EOK, IS, or CON chops. Control chops were similar (P>0.05) to EOK, however CON and EOK both lost more moisture (P<0.05) than IS. The use of alkaline electrolyzed reduced water did not improve WBSF or sensory characteristics compared to IS treated chops. As a stand-alone enhancement solution alkaline electrolyzed reduced water was not a suitable replacement for industry standard solutions.
Source & links
Screenshot of the PubMed page
This page mirrors the published abstract (© the authors / publisher) for reference and citation. The canonical source is the PubMed record linked above. This is not medical advice.