Assessment of a healthy oil combination structured in ethyl cellulose and beeswax oleogels as animal fat replacers in low-fat, PUFA-enriched pork burgers

Abstract

The present work evaluates the suitability of ethyl cellulose and beeswax oleogels prepared with a healthy lipid mixture (olive, linseed, and fish oils) as fat replacers for fresh meat product development. The texture, color, thermal properties, and fatty acid composition of the oleogels indicated their suitability for the intended use, and they were stable for at least one month of chilled storage (3 ± 1 °C). However, the oleogels suffered some lipid oxidation during refrigerated storage, especially in the case of ethyl cellulose. Low-fat pork burgers formulated with total substitution of pork backfat by the oleogels developed were softer and without important changes in optical properties, as compared to the control. Although some lipid oxidation was observed, especially when ethyl cellulose oleogel was used, the fatty acid profile of the reformulated burgers was significantly improved, with a 3.6-fold increase of the PUFA/SFA ratio and a 23-fold decrease of the n-6/n-3 ratio, as compared to the control. A sensory acceptability test showed high ratings for the burgers made with beeswax oleogel, in contrast to the ones made with ethyl cellulose, which scored values below the neutral point. Results from this work indicate the potential of the ingredients developed for the formulation of 2 healthier fresh meat products with an improved fatty acid profile, and the need for research on strategies to improve oxidative stability and sensory properties.

Quality Characteristics of Healthy Dry Fermented Sausages Formulated with a Mixture of Olive and Chia Oil Structured in Oleogel or Emulsion Gel as Animal Fat Replacer

“…Increasing the PUFA/SFA ratio as well as reducing the PUFA n-6 / n-3 ratio to get closer to the reference values, has been tested using new lipid materials such as EG or oleogels elaborated with oils that have a healthy profile of fatty acids (olive, flax, chia, etc.). This strategy, which has been tried on other types of meat products (fermented, cooked or fresh), has given similar results to those obtained in the present study [ 6 , 8 , 17 , 18 , 24 ].…”

“…Some studies have been carried out to improve the fatty acid profile of cooked (frankfurter sausages) or fresh meat products (patties, longanizas, merguez) by using solid lipid material based on emulsion gels or oleogels [ 6 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. However, there are very few studies of this kind on fermented meat products.…”

Olive Oil Oleogel Formulation Using Wax Esters Derived from Soybean Fatty Acid Distillate

“…Many different vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, hazelnut oil, rice bran oil, grape seed oil, rapeseed oil, and flaxseed oil have been utilized for oleogel production with the aim to investigate their properties and their potential applications [8]. However, there are only a few studies using olive oil as the only base oil for wax-based oleogel production [9][10][11][12][13][14], whereas the most recent reports have formulated oleogels with a mixture of vegetable oils, including olive oil [15][16][17]. Olive oil oleogels have been formulated to date with the utilization of rice bran wax, carnauba wax, beeswax, and sunflower wax, whereas their physical properties point out their potential application in spreadable fat products, such as breakfast margarine [9][10][11][12].…”

Effect of Adding Curcumin on the Properties of Linseed Oil Organogels Used as Fat Replacers in Pâtés

“…Linseed oil has been widely used in the development of healthier and/or functional foods since it is one of the greatest sources of α-linolenic acid, essential fatty acid to which several human health promoting effects have been attributed, and the precursor of the omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the organism [ 7 ]. This vegetable oil has also been incorporated into organogels, alone or in combination with other oils [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Different organogelators have been used for this purpose, mostly ethylcellulose, but also plant sterols, mixtures of monoglycerides and phytosterols, and natural waxes [ 5 ].…”

“…Different organogelators have been used for this purpose, mostly ethylcellulose, but also plant sterols, mixtures of monoglycerides and phytosterols, and natural waxes [ 5 ]. The use of beeswax as structuring agent for fat replacement in meat products is still scarce [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], and varying results have been obtained as a function of the reformulated meat product. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one study that focused on the replacement of pork backfat by beeswax-based organogels in pâté, where the technological behavior, color and texture of the reformulated products were similar to the sample formulated with pork backfat [ 10 ].…”