The GLM-analysis revealed that both NaCl and ESM affected color. As shown in Table , increased NaCl levels decreased (p<0.001) brightness (L*) and increased (p<0.001) redness (a*). Decreased brightness are consistent with previous findings that high water content lead to lower L* in emulsified meat products . This is probably due to light scattering affects due to the higher water content and pH induced structural differences . Young et al. reported only a subtle effect on the red color of pH-adjusted minced meat. Whereas addition of 1.5% ESM increased redness (a*) with approximately 25% in cooked samples compared to those with without ESM (Table ). As shown in Table , ESM has an antioxidant effect which may be related to increased redness in the cooked samples. Sebranek et al. reported that addition of natural antioxidants from rosemary led to increased redness in sausages by preventing oxidation of myoglobin. The results shown in Tables 2 indicate that the differences in CL, texture properties and color are mainly due to differences in salt concentration, but also that ESM had an effect probably due to higher pH in the emulsified meat models with ESM. The effect of ESM was greatest in samples with 1.5% NaCl and most pronounced on the CL. Both texture and water holding properties depend on the microstructure and degree of protein aggregation. To examine the effect of ESM on the protein matrix, microstructural changes were monitored by light microscopy on those samples that had largest differences in CL and springiness (Table ). Examples of micrographs of uncooked and cooked samples with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% NaCl without and with 1.5% ESM are shown in Figures and. In Figure muscle proteins are stained yellow, and collagen/gelatin is stained blue by Orange G/Aniline, and in Figure fat is stained yellow by Nile red, whereas proteins remain unstained. The microstructure of the emulsified meat models is like to that previously described for emulsified and/or finely ground meat and fish products . Emulsified meat consists of a continuous matrix that encloses intact and partially dissolved muscle fibers, pieces of connective tissue in uncooked samples (Figure ) and in cooked samples gelatin dissolved in the water phase (Figure ). In samples prepared with 1.5% ESM, fragments of ESM, seen as dark-blue spots, are scattered throughout the yellow protein matrix. Parallel sections to Figure stained with Nile red (Figure ) disclose the high density of fat globules in the protein matrix. Water holding properties of minced products depends on their microstructure; gels with coarse, aggregated network structures and big pores hold the water less firmly than gels with fine and continuous matrices . Accordingly, the most striking differences between the micrographs in Figures and are shape, size, and distribution of the liquid-or fat filled pores in the protein matrix. Compared to the other samples, samples made with 1.5% NaCl and 1.5% ESM with the least CL and most springiness, have smaller and more spherical pores that are more evenly distributed in the protein matrix than in the other samples (Figures and). The pores consisting of fat or liquid become increasingly larger and more angular with lower NaCl concentrations, this in accordance with previous findings for emulsified fish muscle . The larger pores with irregular shape may be due to the myofibrillar protein being insufficiently solubilized, the fat becoming less emulsified and/or the protein matrix becoming more aggregated during heating. This may indicate that ESM also affects the microstructure formed by the myofibrillar proteins solubilized with the aid of salt.