Beneficial effects of Jerusalem artichoke powder and olive oil as animal fat replacers and natural healthy compound sources in Harbin dry sausages

An Analysis of Changes in the Physicochemical and Mechanical Properties during the Storage of Smoked and Mould Salamis Made in Poland

The aim of the study was to analyse changes in the physicochemical, rheological, and textural properties occurring during the storage of industrially produced smoked salami and mould salami. Tests on these cold cuts were conducted on the 2nd, 15th, 30th, and 45th days of storage. There was a significant increase in the pH value of the mould salami from 5.16 on the 2nd day to 5.42 on the 45th day (p < 0.05). There was a downward trend in the A_w of the smoked salami sample from 0.892 on the 2nd day to 0.873 on the 45th day. The A_w in the mould salami sample decreased from 0.889 on the 2nd day to 0.847 on the 15th day and then increased to 0.871 on the 45th day (p < 0.05). In the first two test periods, the smoked salami was characterised by a higher modulus of elasticity value than the non-smoked salami but lower loss tangent and dynamic viscosity values. The hardness of the whole bars, as well as the hardness of the salami pieces, was affected by their storage time and the related water content. The texture test results showed that the smoked salami was more resistant to compressive force than the mould salami, which affected the sensory evaluation and ease of slicing of this type of salami.

Application of Emulsion Gels as Fat Substitutes in Meat Products

Although traditional meat products are highly popular with consumers, the high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol present significant health concerns. However, simply using plant oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids to replace animal fat in meat products causes a decline in product quality, such as lower levels of juiciness and hardness. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fat substitute that can ensure the sensory quality of the product while reducing its fat content. Consequently, using emulsion gels to produce structured oils or introducing functional ingredients has attracted substantial attention for replacing the fat in meat products. This paper delineated emulsion gels into protein, polysaccharide, and protein–polysaccharide compound according to the matrix. The preparation methods and the application of the three emulsion gels as fat substitutes in meat products were reviewed. Since it displayed a unique separation structure, the double emulsion was highly suitable for encapsulating bioactive substances, such as functional oils, flavor components, and functional factors, while it also exhibited significant potential for developing low-fat or functional healthy meat products. This paper summarized the studies involving the utilization of double emulsion and gelled double emulsion as fat replacement agents to provide a theoretical basis for related research and new insight into the development of low-fat meat products.

Recent advances in the development of healthier meat products

Meat products are an excellent source of high biological value proteins, in addition to the high content of minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. However, meat products contain compounds that can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to humans. In this sense, this chapter will address recent strategies to assist in the development of healthier meat products. The main advances about the reduction of sodium and animal fat in meat products will be presented. In addition, strategies to make the lipid profile of meat products more nutritionally advantageous for human health will also be discussed. Finally, the reduction of substances of safety concern in meat products will be addressed, including phosphates, nitrites, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic aromatic amines, as well as products from lipid and protein oxidation.

Olive Tree Derivatives and Hydroxytyrosol: Their Potential Effects on Human Health and Its Use as Functional Ingredient in Meat

Olive (Olea europaea) is one of the most extensive crops in the Mediterranean countries, and an important source of extra distinctive compounds that has been widely tested due to its known health benefits. Olive derivatives, such as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and olive leaves are rich in antioxidant compounds such as hydroxytyrosol (HXT) and oleuropein and oleic acid, as main monounsaturated fatty acid. Because of HXT molecular structure, its regular consumption reports important beneficial properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer. As a matter of fact, its antioxidant and antimicrobial effects made this compound a good preservative agent against meat deterioration and spoilage, capable of replacing some synthetic additives whose continued and regular consumption may negatively affect the human health. On the contrary side, this extract has an unpleasant odor and flavor, so a synthetic source of HXT could also be used to improve the sensory quality of the meat products. In this sense, this review exposes the health benefits provided by the consumption of EVOO and HXT, and the newest research about its application on meat, together new trends about its use as functional ingredient in meat and meat products.

Use of Tremella as Fat Substitute for the Enhancement of Physicochemical and Sensory Profiles of Pork Sausage

Pork fat in sausage was replaced by tremella at different proportions during the process, and the physicochemical and sensory profiles of pork sausage were evaluated. Five recipes with the replacement proportion of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% tremella were manufactured, and their proximate compositions, water activities, textures, colors, water holding capacities (WHC), and amino acid compositions were investigated. The results showed that the protein, ash and moisture content, lightness, redness, and WHC of pork sausages were increased (p < 0.05), and textural profile analysis (TPA) and sensory quality of the sausage were improved (p < 0.05). In addition, the content of essential amino acids (lysine and isoleucine) and the non-essential amino acids (proline and tyrosine) of sausages were increased (p < 0.05). The sausage had the best sensory performance when the replacement ratio of tremella was 75%. These results indicated that replacing fat with tremella could be a valid way to obtain nutritional and healthy sausage.

Composite Gel Fabricated with Konjac Glucomannan and Carrageenan Could Be Used as a Cube Fat Substitute to Partially Replace Pork Fat in Harbin Dry Sausages

The effect of the partial replacement of pork back-fat with a cube fat substitute (CFS) fabricated from konjac glucomannan and carrageenan on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of Harbin dry sausages during 7 days of fermentation was investigated. There were the following five treatments: control (100% back-fat), FS1 (80% back-fat, 20% CFS), FS2 (60% back-fat, 40% CFS), FS3 (40% back-fat, 60% CFS) and FS4 (20% back-fat, 80% CFS). The results showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the physicochemical and sensory characteristics among the control, FS1 and FS2 treatments. However, higher replacement levels (60% and 80%) rendered higher degrees of change in the characteristics of the sausages, lowering the moisture content and a_w and increasing the pH, hardness, chewiness and atypical appearance at the end of fermentation. Moreover, electronic nose analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis demonstrated that the FS3 and FS4 treatments destroyed the characteristic quality of the sausage. Overall, our results indicated that, to ensure the traditional characteristics of Harbin dry sausages, the upper limit of the fat replacement level with CFS should be set at 40%.