Evaluation of low-fat sausage containing desinewed lamb and konjac gel

Ground (GR) or desinewed (DS) lamb trimmings were combined with a konjac flour (KF) gel (0%, 10% or 20%) to produce a low-fat (8%) cured sausage. Physiochemical, sensory and shelf-life analyses were performed to determine the efficacy of the fat mimetic. Desinewing reduced collagen content (2.3 mg/g tissue) and cook yield (0.6%) when compared to GR trimmings. Grinding increased aerobic plate counts (APCs) ∼0.4log(10)/cm(2) more than DS, but APCs were not affected by inclusion of KF. Sausages with 20% KF lowered cook yield ∼1% and slightly reduced sensory panel and texture profile analysis texture values. KF gel incorporated at 10% had similar properties to a control low-fat desinewed lamb sausage, while KF at 20% could reduce "toughening" in low-fat sausage products. Use of konjac gel as a fat mimetic could reduce total caloric energy by replacing a portion of the meat in a sausage formulation.