Quality effects of using organogels in breakfast sausage

Organogels made with canola oil, ethyl cellulose (EC; 8, 10, 12 and 14%), and sorbitan monostearate (SMS; 1.5, 3.0%) were used to replace pork fat in breakfast sausages. Some of the formulations with SMS matched the objective hardness (texture analyzer) of the pork fat control; however, sensory hardness was not so easily matched. Using canola oil by itself resulted in lower objective and subjective hardness values than the control. Sensory cohesiveness was not affected by the replacements, but springiness was lower in the treatments without SMS and some of the high EC treatments with SMS. Lightness of organogel treatments was lower than the control, but redness and yellowness values were not affected. Sensory juiciness and oiliness were in general lower in the organogel treatments. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential for the use of organogels in coarse ground meat products, as a means of improving the nutritional profile by replacing saturated fat with mono and poly unsaturated oils.