Abstract
The effects of starch (corn and quinoa) and quinoa seeds on chicken meatballs’ physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties were investigated during frozen storage. The chicken meatballs were prepared with corn starch (CS), quinoa starch (QS), quinoa seeds (Q), and combinations of corn starch and quinoa seeds (CS-Q), and quinoa starch and quinoa seeds (QS-Q), which were subjected to five freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles of temperature fluctuation conditions during frozen storage. Regardless of the type used (CS or QS), adding starch resulted in fewer cooking, drip, and reheating losses in chicken meatballs during frozen storage. The values of the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of chicken meatballs with CS or QS were half those of chicken meatballs without starch, indicating that the addition of starch inhibited the change in the meatballs’ texture. The total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values were progressive but did not dynamically increase during five F-T cycles. Chicken meatballs containing CS-Q or QS-Q showed significantly lower TBARS values than those with CS, QS, or Q after five F-T cycles. Adding quinoa seeds significantly increased the antioxidant activity and the chewiness of meatballs (p < 0.05) compared with starch only. The addition of the combination of QS-Q to chicken meatballs increased the values of taste, texture, and overall acceptability, indicating that quinoa starch and seeds may be introduced as premium ingredients to frozen meat products.
Highlights
Published: 9 July 2021Frozen ready-to-cook (RTC) meat products are gaining popularity due to their convenience
We evaluated the effects of starch and quinoa seeds on the physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties of RTC chicken meatballs during frozen storage
The chemical composition of quinoa starch was determined by the AOAC methods [25]: the moisture was determined with the direct oven method (100 ◦ C for 24 h), the ash was determined by incinerating the sample overnight at 600 ◦ C in a muffle furnace
Summary
Frozen ready-to-cook (RTC) meat products are gaining popularity due to their convenience. Quinoa seeds are an excellent raw material for various processed foods They are a good source of protein (12–20%), contain all essential amino acids, and do not contain gluten-type protein. Quinoa and quinoa flour have been reported to have excellent potential for use as plant-based ingredients in various meat products, including beef burgers and meatballs [7,19,20,21,22]. Quinoa starch and seeds have good potential as plant-based ingredients in meat products for health-conscious consumers, few studies have been conducted on the effect of quinoa starch and seeds on the qualities of meat products during frozen storage. We evaluated the effects of starch (quinoa and corn) and quinoa seeds on the physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties of RTC chicken meatballs during frozen storage. The effects of five freeze–thaw (F-T) cycles on the qualities of chicken meatballs were investigated for temperature fluctuation conditions during frozen storage
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