Improvement of the healthy properties of a Spanish artisan meat pie maintaining the organoleptic quality

Abstract

Some artisan products with high fat content, particularly saturated fat, are perceived as unbalanced foods. The “Murcia's meat pie” (MMP) is a Spanish artisan product with ground beef as the main filling ingredient. The aim of this study was to improve the healthy properties of MMP maintaining its original organoleptic quality. Four MMP which were different in the proportion and anatomic location of the cuts of beef were assessed. The MMP most recommended for human consumption was elaborated with ground beef prepared with neck (20 g/100 g) and chuck (80 g/100 g) because of having a lower fat content than the control (37 g/100 g) and the most recommended fatty acid profile. The study showed that a better selection of one or more ingredients can be a valuable strategy for improving the healthy properties of artisan products, without diminishing the sensory attributes. This would allow maintaining the identity, cultural and gastronomic heritage of each country.