Effect of Olive Oil Hydrogel as a Fat Replacer in Beef Meatballs

Research background. Meat and meat products are essential sources of dietary saturated fatty acids. However, excessive consumption of meat and meat products may be harmful to human health. The study evaluates the effect of fat replacement with hydrogels (olive oil in water emulsions gelled by gelatine) in meatballs. Experimental approach. The effect of replacing fat with different ratios of hydrogel (control, 25 (F25), 50 (F50), 75 (F75) and 100 % (F100)) on the chemical (fatty acids and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)) and physical (cooking loss, diameter reduction, fat retention, water retention, colour and texture analysis) characteristics of the meatballs were analyzed. Results and conclusions. The fat content of raw meatball samples was reduced from (31.2±2.2) to (10.5±0.4) % in the sample with the highest fat substitution (F100). The energy levels of the F100 samples were almost 56 % lower than of the control group. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) represented the dominant group in all substitution rates of the meatballs, followed by saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and finally polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Among the raw meatball samples, the highest oxidation occurred in the F50 and F100 groups. However, it was determined that the difference between F25 and F75 and the difference between control and F75 were not statistically significant (p>0.05). When the cooked samples were compared, the highest thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value was found in the F50 sample, followed by the F100 and F75 samples. The difference between the mean values of springiness and cohesiveness of the samples was not significant (p>0.05). The hardness value of samples decreased significantly (p<0.001) with >75 % fat replacement. Novelty and scientific contribution. It can be concluded that the oil replacement rate that may satisfy consumer demand without impairing the product technological and chemical quality should be <75 %. As the fat replacement ratio increases, the SFA content of cooked meatballs decreases, while the MUFA and PUFA contents increase. Considering the positive effects of reducing the intake of SFAs and increasing the intake of unsaturated fatty acids on non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, fat replacement in meatballs is important for future developments.