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Title: SENSORY, SHEAR, AND COOKING PROPERTIES OF LOWER FAT BEEF PATTIES PROCESSED WITH INNER PEA FIBER

Author
item Anderson, Ellen
item Berry, Bradford

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In the development of lower-fat ground beef products to meet consumers' desires to reduce dietary fat intake, much of the research focus involved the use of nonmeat, water-binding ingredients. As a result, considerable fat was removed from products, either in processing and especially in cooking. However, consumer acceptance of these lower-fat ground beef products was low and consequently many are no longer on the market. We hav identified an ingredient, inner pea fiber, that when added in limited amounts to ground beef, will bind considerable amounts of fat. Our hypothesis was that perhaps adding a limited amount of inner pea fiber to lower fat ground beef would prevent excessive fat loss in cooking and thus improve eating quality. Inner pea fiber was used in 10 and 14 percent fat ground beef patties and compared to 10, 14 and 18 percent fat, all-beef ground beef patties. Use of inner pea fiber in the patties resulted in greater tenderness, and higher cooking yields, but no changes in flavor an juiciness. The anticipated increase in fat retention of patties made with inner pea fiber did not occur. That may have been due to the increased cooking time needed for these patties to reach 160 deg F. However, this may prove to be a benefit to food service operations where longer cooking times are frequently used to ensure food safety and lessen the presence of uncooked pink color.

Technical Abstract: Lower fat (10 percent, 14 percent) ground beef patties containing inner pea fiber as dry powder or as part of a high fat mixture were compared to all- beef patties (10 percent, 14 percent, 18 percent fat). Patties processed with pea fiber had improved tenderness and cooking yields and showed less change in thickness during cooking, but required longer cooking times to reach 71 deg C compared to all-beef controls. Beef flavor intensity of pea fiber patties did not differ from 10 percent and 14 percent fat all-beef patties. Different forms of pea fiber usage produced similar patty properties. Use of inner pea fiber in lower fat beef patties improved tenderness and cooking yield, without negative effects on juiciness and flavor.