Microstructure and technological properties of cooked meat sausages prepared with emulsions of vegetable oils as substitutes for animal fat

Abstract

This paper investigated the functional possibilities of using two types of vegetable oil emulsions of chia and grape seeds, as substitutes for animal fat in the cooked sausage formulation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and texture profile analysis (TPA) were used to assess the effect of different levels of fat substitution with the chia and grape seed oils emulsions on the structural changes and the emulsion stability of sausages. A direct correlation was observed between the hardness index in the TPA analysis and the addition of the chia oil emulsion. A decrease in the adhesiveness of the test samples in relation to the control sample (Р˃0.05) was observed when the fat was fully or partially replaced by a grape seed oil emulsion and, contrariwise, adhesiveness increased in the samples to which a chia oil emulsion had been added, the increase being directly proportional to its quantity. SEM images of sausages showed that the samples in which the porcine adipose tissue was partially substituted by pre-emulsified chia and/or grape seed oils exhibited a more compact network with smaller fat droplets compared to the control sample and the emulsified grape seed oil sample. To sum up, the use of chia and grape seed oil emulsions was found to be a possible alternative for the substitution of animal fat in emulsified meat sausages; pre-emulsified chia oil addition resulted in products that were close to the standard one in terms of texture, microstructural indices and emulsion stability, along with improved nutritional image and wholesomeness of the end product.