The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a chicken nugget formulation with partial substitution of the meat or fat by pea fibre. Three formulations were developed: Control (C) – commercial formulation, Fibre Less Meat (FLM) – reduction of 10% of meat and addition of 2% of pea fibre and Fibre Less Fat (FLF) – reduction of 10% of fat and addition of 2% pea fibre. The products were characterized for their pH value, instrumental colour, texture, cooking loss (frying), proximate composition, and sensory properties (acceptance test). The control treatment presented lower (p<0.05) pH values compared to FLM and FLF. The analysis of cooking loss showed no differences (p>0.05) amongst the treatments. The texture analysis showed no significant differences amongst the treatments for elasticity and cohesiveness, although the FLF batch was firmer than the others (p<0.05). Regarding the sensory acceptance test, the consumers detected no differences (p>0.05) amongst the three treatments for aroma, texture, flavour or overall acceptability. One can conclude that it is possible to partially replace meat and fat by pea fibre in chicken nuggets, without compromising most of the physicochemical characteristics and without altering the sensory acceptance.
Meat product; Sensory acceptance; Texture; Food fibres
Thumbnail
