Effect of Meat Type, Animal Fatty Acid Composition, and Isothermal Temperature on the Viscoelastic Properties of Meat Batters

A Pumpkin-Based Emulsion Gel as a Texture Improvement of Mixed Horsemeat Semi-Smoked Sausages

Semi-smoked sausages were made with 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% replacement of horsemeat by emulsion gel made with offal broth (stomach, kidney, liver, heart, brain, and a miscellaneous trimmings of a horse), pumpkin flour, and egg yolk in a ratio of 5:4:1. The technological, nutritional, oxidative, and rheological (G′ and G″) properties were studied. Sausage water holding capacity (WHC) rose after being incorporated with pumpkin-based emulsion gel (PEG). There was a statistically significant (p < 0.01) improvement in sausage emulsion stability. Lipid oxidation in all samples, especially 5% and 15% addition of emulsion gel samples, was below the rancidity criterion, which is TBARS > 2.0−2.5 mg MDA/kg sample. This really is encouraging because unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in horsemeat, are easily oxidized. Use of the emulsion gel did not noticeably alter the sausages’ pH. Using emulsion gel considerably reduced the cooking loss (p < 0.05) of sausages and significantly improved texture (p < 0.05). Partial replacement of mixed horsemeat with emulsion gel improved the physicochemical characteristics of semi-smoked sausages. The elasticity modulus (G′) showed that PEG15 (15% of emulsion gel) was the most resilient gel. The least powerful gels (p < 0.05) were PEG20 and PEG25. According to this study, adding a pumpkin-based emulsion gel to the meat matrix could improve the quality of the emulsified meat system and provide important data for related research and companies as strategies to market a healthier and more nutritious product with the necessary quality characteristics.

Gel-type emulsified muscle products: Mechanisms, affecting factors, and applications

The gel-type emulsified muscle products improve fatty acid composition, maintain the oxidative stability, and achieve a better sensory acceptability. This review emphasizes the stabilization mechanisms of these emulsified muscle products. In particular, factors associated with the stability of the emulsified muscle systems are outlined, including the processing conditions (pH and heating), lipids, and emulsifiers. Besides, some novel systems are further introduced, including the Pickering emulsions and organogels, due to their great potential in stabilizing emulsified gels. Moreover, the promising prospects of emulsion muscle products such as improved gel properties, oxidative stability, freeze-thaw stability, fat replacement, and nutraceutical encapsulation were elaborated. This review comprehensively illustrates the considerations on developing gel-type emulsified products and provides inspiration for the rational design of emulsified muscle formulations with both oxidatively stable and organoleptically acceptable performance.

Inulin gelled emulsion as a fat replacer and fiber carrier in healthier Bologna sausage

The effects of gelled emulsions (GE) used as animal fat replacers in terms of the nutritional, technological, and sensory properties of Bologna sausages during 60 days of chilled storage have been studied. Samples with GE added exhibited a fat reduction of 31%. Sausages with GE had higher values of L* and lower values of a* compared to the control. Harder sausages were obtained by the addition of GE. Higher lipid oxidation rates were found with increasing amounts of GE in the reformulated products. In addition, the relaxation time was not affected by the reformulation. All samples were deemed acceptable by consumer tests. However, CATA (Check-all-that-apply) tests showed that Bolognas formulated with partial or total pork fat replaced with GE were described as rubbery, not very spicy and firm, appeared to be dry and opaque, and had an aftertaste. Chilled storage significantly affected the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) values and slightly affected the pH values, texture, color, and NMR data. An important result is that the panelists did not detect the oxidation results in relation to the TBARS values, and the addition of a GE with inulin as dietary fiber may be a good strategy to make Bologna sausage healthier.

Effects of replacing fat with Perilla seed on the characteristics of meatballs

A portion of the fat used in the preparation of meatballs was replaced with different amounts of Perilla seeds rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Five treatments with mass percentages of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, including a set of blank treatment and four groups treated with different Perilla seed contents, were performed. The effects of Perilla seed content on the proximate composition, pH, color, cooking yield, emulsion stability, texture, fatty acid composition, and sensory properties of meatballs were analyzed. The meatballs with Perilla seeds showed remarkably better properties than those without seeds. The addition of 10% (w/w) Perilla seeds significantly (P < 0.05) improved the texture, composition, and content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), dietary fiber, and protein in meatballs. Moreover, the characteristic flavor components were rich and varied, which enhanced the taste, flavor, and satiety of the meatballs. This work provided theoretical and data support for the preparation of Perilla meatballs rich in PUFAs and dietary fiber.

The effect of temperature on structure formation in three insect batters

Since insects are a promising alternative protein source, the application potential of three insect larvae (Alphitobius diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio) for food purposes was explored. To this end, the effect of isothermal heating at 5 different temperatures (70 °C-90 °C) on structure formation in insect batters was studied rheologically. Meat batters (with the same protein content as insect batters), isothermally heated at 70 °C, were also studied for comparison. Cryo-SEM imaging was used to visualize the microstructure of raw and heated insect batters. These images showed that a network was formed in the heated batters, as well as in the raw batters. However, no clear effect of temperature or insect larva on the microstructure was observed. Rheologically, both the heating temperature applied and the insect larva used were shown to have a significant effect on the viscoelastic properties of the insect batters. Generally, batters containing Z. morio larvae showed both higher storage moduli (G') and longer linear viscoelastic regions (LVRs) compared to the other insect larvae, indicating that these larvae had the best structure forming capacities. Furthermore, both G' and the length of the LVR increased with increasing isothermal heating temperature, indicating more structure formation and structure stability in insect batters heated at higher temperatures. Compared to the meat batters, however, the insect larvae were shown to have inferior structure forming capacities. Even at the highest heating temperature (90 °C) the viscoelastic properties of the insect batters only approached those of meat batters heated at 70 °C. Therefore, it was concluded that higher heating temperatures may need to be employed in insect-based food products compared to meat products in order to obtain sufficient structure formation and the desired textural properties.