Low-fat sausage: New active ingredient compound combines enjoyment, healthy nutrition and profitability
Hydrosol supports the health nutrition trend
In western industrialized nations, people eat too fat and too high in carbohydrates. Against this background, low-calorie foods are becoming increasingly important. With regard to the macronutrient fat, however, this is a problem particularly in the case of meat products. Since fat is not only a source of energy, but also contributes significantly to the taste and mouthfeel of meat products, many low-fat sausages are not convincing. With the new HydroTOP Light 20 stabilization system from Hydrosol, “light” sausage specialties can now be created that are also convincing in terms of taste.
The prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in recent decades. According to estimates by the World Health Organization, more than a billion people worldwide are overweight, 300 million of them suffer from obesity. In addition to the USA and Europe, obesity is also rampant in the Middle East as well as in Australia and major cities in economically booming China. The food industry is therefore required to change the food in such a way that a balanced nutrient, vitamin and mineral balance is achieved with the same eating habits. It is important to produce meat products that are better suited to the changed lifestyle and eating habits by reducing the calorific value - in this case the fat content. Taste, mouthfeel and texture must not suffer.
Replacing bacon with lean meat alone is not enough
For low-fat sausages, fat must be replaced with meat and/or fat substitutes and water. The country-specific legislation must be observed. For economic and technological reasons, however, bacon cannot simply be replaced with lean meat. Only the use of functional active ingredient compounds such as HydroTOP Light 20 enables economical and simple production of low-fat sausage.
In order to stabilize a sausage meat, fat is of great importance. On the one hand, the fat particles must be finely distributed. On the other hand, there must be enough dissolved proteins to enclose or enclose the fat particles. Fat thus plays an important role in the development and stabilization of a fine-grained protein network. In addition, the finely distributed fat particles contribute to water retention and thus prevent the protein matrix from shrinking too much when heated and forming a jelly. In general, higher-fat recipes are more heat-resistant and less likely to produce jelly. Apart from that, fat as a flavor carrier increases the enjoyment factor and also ensures a pleasant mouthfeel. For high consumer acceptance, it is therefore necessary to meet these requirements even for low-fat sausage.
Use synergies of the individual components
Fat substitutes are generally used to reduce the fat content of products such as cooked and boiled sausages. They have a low physiological calorific value and also meet the requirement as a hydrocolloid. Plant proteins, hydrocolloids, modified starches, fiber and fibers (inulin, fibers from wheat, peas, potatoes, etc.) can be used as fat substitutes in sausage production. However, the selection of the appropriate components is decisive for the quality of the end product. Friedemann Nau, head of application technology for meat and sausage products at Hydrosol: “When developing and manufacturing active compound compounds based on functional individual components such as hydrocolloids, proteins and fibers, it is important to use the synergistic effects of the single ingredients. Only the integrated compound leads to optimal product results.”
The new HydroTOP Light 20 stabilization system meets all the requirements for product quality, economy and process management. The compound consists of vegetable protein isolates, fibers and cold and hot gelling hydrocolloids. It can be used for recipes with a bulk content of 30-50 percent. HydroTOP Light 20 increases production reliability, especially with regard to fluctuating raw material qualities. The functional system improves sausage meat in terms of water retention and stability and significantly reduces jelly sales in casings and preserves. It also contributes significantly to texture, taste and shelf life (lower syneresis).
In this way, tasty and "light" sausage specialties can be produced with the newly developed stabilization system. With a balanced ratio of lean meat, full compound and ice cream, high-quality sausage products are created that meet the increasing demand for low-fat foods.
Source: Ahrensburg [ Hydrosol ]
