Technological effect of dietary oat fiber on the quality of minced sausages prepared from Indian major carp (Labeo rohita)

Abstract

The development of functional meat sausages with new sources of fiber ingredients is progressing day by day. In this study, functional sausages developed with Indian major carp, Rohu fish mince that could increase dietary fiber intake through consumption. Different levels of oat fiber (2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% w/w) was incorporated in fish mince emulsified with 8% (w/w) cod liver oil and 8% (w/w) starch. Adding oat fiber resulted in reduced moisture content in all samples regardless of fiber content, and a significant (p < 0.05) influence was noticed on the gel strength, WHC, and folding score of sausages. The electrophoretic pattern of total proteins showed polymerization in the presence of oat fiber, but this did not affect the protein patterns of minced sausages. The scanning electron microscopy revealed a good compact gel network in the presence of oat fiber. The sausages retained good textural quality except for variation in hardness. The whiteness of the sausages was reduced, and yellowness increased due to the slight yellow colour of the oat fiber. A higher level of oat fiber inclusion resulted in slight oats odour development. Overall, fortification of minced sausages with oat fiber at the level of 2.5% (w/w) is recommended. The fortification of minced sausages with fiber containing starch and cod liver oil resulted in a good quality product that could be useful in developing mince-based fish products with nutritional benefits.