A Comparative Study of Freshwater Fish Burgers Made from Three Amazonian Species: Omega 3 Fortification and Sodium Reduction

Abstract

This study aimed to formulate burgers made from three Amazonian fish species: pacu (Pyaractus brachypomus), boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans), and bujurqui (Chaetobranchus flavescens), focusing on sodium reduction and fortification with fish oil microparticles (FOM) rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The proximal composition, sodium and calcium content, instrumental texture profile, fatty acid profile, sensory profile, and overall liking were evaluated. Differences in proximal composition and fatty acid profiles between the fillets were reflected in the burgers. Fortification with FOM increased EPA and DHA in the burgers; thus, they can be considered “high in omega-3 fatty acids” and reduced the n-6/n-3 ratio below 4. There were sensory attributes that could be related to lipid oxidation but reduced overall liking for less than 10% of consumers. Nevertheless, certain sensory attributes (grilled, characteristic, aromatic, tasty, tender, and juicy) had a positive impact on the overall liking of more than 20% of consumers, yielding adequate scores (between 5.60 and 5.71) on the 9-point hedonic scale. The production process must be optimized by knowing the fish fillet quality in depth, improving the FOM and burgers’ oxidative stability, and achieving an adequate sensory and hedonic profile by employing consumers’ vocabulary to characterize new products.

Fish Burgers Fortified with Microencapsulated Sacha Inchi Oil: Effects on Technological and Sensory Properties

“…This aspect has been previously studied and cited by some authors, who reported that the sensory perception threshold of oxidation in meat and meat products is 2 mg malonaldehyde/kg sample [30,60,61]. However, for frozen, chilled, or ice-stored fish, the acceptable values are higher, up to 5 mg malonaldehyde/kg [27].…”

“…For MSIO, the oil was previously extracted following the Bligh and Dyer [24] method. The amount of peroxides generated was quantified by referencing a standard curve for Fe 3+ , with concentrations varying from 1 to 20 µg [25][26][27].…”

“…The burgers' manufacturing, molding, and storage were carried out following the methodology described by Iman et al [27]. Table 1 details the different formulations and ingredient concentrations used.…”

“…The cooking losses were determined using three burger treatments per batch, according to Equation (3) [27]:…”

“…The lipid samples were extracted (except for the SIO) following the Bligh and Dyer [24] method. The analysis methodology and conditions were taken from Iman et al [27]. The analysis was conducted within 15 days of burger processing, with measurements being performed in duplicate (two lipid extractions per treatment per batch).…”