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Exploring Pijuayo (Bactris gasipaes) Pulp and Peel Flours as Fat Replacers in Burgers: A Multivariate Study on Physicochemical and Sensory Traits

Summary

Researchers tested using pijuayo flour from an Amazon fruit to replace animal fat in beef burgers. Burgers with 25% less animal fat tasted better and had better texture than regular burgers, possibly because pijuayo adds natural flavoring compounds and has healthy unsaturated fats. Most consumers preferred these reduced-fat burgers, suggesting pijuayo could be a practical way to make meat products healthier without sacrificing taste.

Background

Meat products are typically high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Plant-based fat replacers offer a promising strategy to develop healthier meat products. Pijuayo, an Amazon fruit rich in fiber, phenolic compounds, and unsaturated lipids, presents potential as a fat substitute in meat formulations.

Objective

To investigate how substituting animal fat with pijuayo pulp and peel flours affects the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of beef-based burgers using multivariate statistical analysis including PCA, CA, and MFA.

Results

Burgers with 25% fat replacement showed the highest overall liking scores, exceeding the control. PCA revealed that higher fat replacement (50%) resulted in increased carbohydrate content and yellowness. Sensory characteristics tender and tasty were strongly correlated with overall liking in treatments with 25% fat reduction. Consumer preference clusters showed 89% preferred treatments T1-T4 while only 11% preferred the highest replacement level (T5).

Conclusion

Replacing 25% of pork backfat with pijuayo pulp or peel flour in burgers improves product acceptance by enhancing tenderness and flavor. Further optimization studies between 25-50% fat replacement and exploration of specific bioactive compounds and flavor-enhancing properties of pijuayo are warranted for industrial application.
  • Published in:Foods,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: 10.3390/foods13111619, PMID: 38890851
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