Restructured beef steaks with inclusion of digestion-resistant maltodextrin: Techno-functional characteristics, nutritional value, sensory quality, and storage stability

Abstract

This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of digestion-resistant maltodextrin (DRM) inclusion, as a mean for functional dietary fiber-enrichment, on the quality and stability of precooked restructured beef steaks. The restructured steaks were prepared from ground beef by cold gelation, with alginate as binding agent, using three inclusion levels of DRM: 0 % (control), 4 % and 8 %. The products were cooked on heating plates at 180 °C until 71 °C internal temperature, vacuum-packed, stored at 4 °C, and their quality was monitored during 35 days. The inclusion of DRM resulted in improved cooking yields (76.93 ± 2.06 %, P < 0.05) and slower rates of lipid (0.47 ± 0.01 TVBN, P < 0.05) and protein degradation (1.64 ± 0.01 TBARS, P < 0.05). This fiber source did not affect the water and fat holding capacities, tenderness, microbiological quality, nor sensory acceptance of the meat products (P > 0.05); however, it influenced their color evaluated by tristimulus colorimetry (P < 0.05). The nutritional composition of the restructured steaks, including the dietary fiber content, was consistent with the level of proportional inclusion of MDR in the formulations, allowing to significantly (P < 0.01) increase their contribution to daily reference values to approximately 14 % and 27 %. According to international food labeling regulations, the products at their standard serving sizes can be classified either as good (4 % of included DRM) or superior (8 % of included DRM) sources of dietary fiber.