Optimization of lipid profile and hardness of low-fat mortadella following a sequential strategy of experimental design

Traits of Mortadella from Meat of Different Commercial Categories of Indigenous Dairy Cattle

The rising interest in healthier meat options prompted the exploration of alternatives to traditional pork-based products, incorporating meat from different livestock species, feeding regimens, and functional ingredients. This study investigates the production of healthier meat products by examining the physicochemical traits, fatty acid profile, and sensory properties of mortadella made with Cinisara meat of four young bulls and four adult cows, and four females of the Nebrodi Black Pig. All the animals were fed principally on natural resources. Nutritional analysis revealed different levels of moisture, protein, fat, and ash in raw materials, with pistachios contributing to a healthy fatty acid profile rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Formulations using cow meat exhibited higher fat content and caloric value, resulting in sensory attributes such as more intense color, improved fat cube adhesion, and pronounced odors compared to young bull and control mortadella. Fatty acid analysis demonstrated distinctive profiles influenced by the meat type used and, as expected, bovine products showed higher contents of rumenic and other conjugated linoleic acids. Pork mortadella displayed greater ω6 and ω3 values, with a healthier ω6/ω3 ratio comparable to those found in cow products. Young bull mortadella showed the worse atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. The findings underscore the impact of raw materials on the nutritional and sensory attributes of mortadella, emphasizing the necessity for interventions to enhance fatty acid composition in processed meat products.

Recent Applications of Mixture Designs in Beverages, Foods, and Pharmaceutical Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Design of Experiments (DoE) is a statistical tool used to plan and optimize experiments and is seen as a quality technology to achieve products excellence. Among the experimental designs (EDs), the mixture designs (MDs) stand out, being widely applied to improve conditions for processing, developing, or formulating novel products. This review aims to provide useful updated information on the capacity and diversity of MDs applications for the industry and scientific community in the areas of food, beverage, and pharmaceutical health. Recent works were selected following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA) flow diagram. Data analysis was performed by self-organizing map (SOM) to check and understand which fields of application/countries/continents are using MDs. Overall, the SOM indicated that Brazil presented the largest number of works using MDs. Among the continents, America and Asia showed a predominance in applications with the same amount of work. Comparing the MDs application areas, the analysis indicated that works are prevalent in food and beverage science in the American continent, while in Asia, health science prevails. MDs were more used to develop functional/nutraceutical products and the formulation of drugs for several diseases. However, we briefly describe some promising research fields in that MDs can still be employed.

Effects of freeze-dried pulp of Eugenia uniflora L. and Opuntia ficus-indica fruits on quality attributes of beef patties enriched with n-3 fatty acids

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of freeze-dried pulps of Eugenia uniflora L. and Opuntia ficus-indica fruits on oxidative stability of n-3-enriched beef patties. Besides, the effect of freeze-dried pulps on cooking yield, color, texture parameters and sensory acceptance of patties was also evaluated. Eugenia uniflora L. (orange-skinned variety) and Opuntia ficus-indica (orange-skinned and red-skinned varieties) fruits were collected, their pulp was lyophilized and incorporated, as a natural source of antioxidant, in beef patties enriched with canola oil as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oxidation stability of samples was monitored by measuring thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances during refrigerated storage. Results show that all freeze-dried pulps limited lipid oxidation to an acceptable level during 15 days refrigerated storage, having Opuntia ficus-indica (red-skinned variety) the highest inhibitory activity. Besides, the addition of freeze-dried pulps increased the cooking yield and decreased the hardness of beef patties. Respect to sensorial parameters, patties elaborated with no added freeze-dried fruit pulp and patties elaborated with freeze-dried pulp of Opuntia ficus-indica (red-skinned variety) presented the highest overall acceptance of consumers, remaining as a future task to improve the color and taste of patties elaborated with freeze-dried pulps of Eugenia uniflora L. and Opuntia ficus-indica (orange-skinned variety). This research reveals the effectiveness of studied fruits to reduce lipid oxidation in beef patties. In addition, preliminary information about which sensorial parameters of these products should be improved in futures incorporation of pulps in the manufacture of healthy meat products.