Low-fat meat products-technological problems with processing

Diet and health advice serve as a driving force to redirect the types of foods considered to be most beneficial in terms of improved health and quality of life for Americans. Although meat cuts have become leaner, products such as ground beef, fresh pork sausage, coarse ground sausages and emulsified sausages traditionally have higher levels of fat. However, these products offer the greatest opportunity for fat reduction by reformulation with fat substitutes. Fat replacements should contribute a minimum of calories to a product and should not be detrimental to organoleptic qualities. Most substitutes can be categorized as: leaner meats, added water, protein-based substitutes, carbohydrate-based substitutes and synthetic compounds, Reducing the fat content to ∼10% often results in cooked ground beef that is bland and dry with a hard, rubbery or mealy texture. Reformulation with fat substitutes can cause a reduction in particle binding, darker product color, lack of beef flavor, reduced browning reactions and shorter microbiological shelf-life. Other problems that occur with low-fat (5-10%) fresh or cooked/smoked sausages are reduced cook yields, soft mushy interiors, rubbery skin formation, excessive purge in vacuum packages, shorter shelf-life and changes in sensory qualities after cooking or reheating. However, some combinations of fat replacements that mimic the mouthfeel and textural characteristics of fat offer potential for development of low-fat meat products.