Effect of javanese grasshopper (Valanga nigricornis Burm.) flour on chicken sausage physical properties and its microstructure

Abstract

Chicken is rich in protein, but it lacks mineral content. The use of edible insects to enrich the nutritional value, especially the mineral content, of processed chicken-based products such as chicken sausages can also affect their physical quality. The effect of edible insects on chicken sausages is rarely studied and needs further investigation. The purpose of this study was to fortify chicken sausage with Javanese grasshopper flour (Valanga nigricornis Burm.) and evaluate its physical properties. The experimental design employed a completely randomized design (CRD), with the following factors: levels of Javanese grasshopper flour (GF), including a control without GF (F0); 15% GF (F1); 10% GF (F2); and 5% GF (F3), each level was tested in triplicate. Physical properties, namely water holding capacity (WHC), pH, color, texture profile, and microstructure under scanning electron microscope (SEM), were measured. The results demonstrated that formulating chicken sausages with Javanese grasshopper flour significantly altered the physical properties and texture profile. Javanese grasshopper-fortified sausages exhibited low water retention, darker color, softer texture, and irregular aggregate microstructures. This study concludes that Javanese grasshopper flour can be utilized to fortify chicken sausages, resulting in 52.0-167.7% increase in water holding capacity, 5.1-37.9% decrease in hardness, and darker appearance expressed in lower L value by 7.6-24.7%.