Slimline meat: a matter of fat

Demand for low fat products is currently going through the roof, inspiring a wave of innovation in fat replacement ingredients for processed meat.

Many processors use protein-based emulsions, but they must be identified as an ingredient and cannot be counted towards meat content, warns Brian Smith, director at Booth Smith Food Technology consultancy.

"Consumers have to accept that phosphates, alginates or starches must be added if they want low fat," he says. "Many manufacturers don't like to talk about fat replacement techniques, as it is usually frowned upon if it is used simply to reduce cost. However, if the method is used for calorie reduction, then that's fair game, as long as it is declared."

Slimline meat can be made either by reducing the amount of fat in a recipe, or by using a leaner meat, says Adrian Short, director of ingredients firm Ulrick & Short. "The perception with leaner meat is that it is high quality, but a low fat sausage can be dry," he claims. "When you replace fat in a product, there tends to be a compromise - eating quality will always be a problem."

Ulrick & Short's Deliquess is a tapioca starch that aims to solve the problem. It can be mixed with fat, but only has a tenth of the calories and no fat content. It is a clean label product and has the same texture and mouthfeel as fat.

However, ingredients mammoth Cargill has criticised the idea of adding ingredients with little or no calorie content, claiming that it affects the meat product's flavour and reduces satiety value.

Instead, Cargill recommends using restructured fat as an alternative as it can reduce fat content by up to 50% and can be used as a regular replacement of fat in sausage recipes, meat preparations, meats and pâté coatings.

Restructured fat is made by gelling fat from smooth fat pieces using alginate. "Alginate has a specific ability to form gels under cold conditions," says Frederic Ballber, meat application manager at Cargill Texturizing Solutions. "It is not an easy ingredients to deal with. However, once the specifics are worked out, the result is excellent products."

Cargill's Algogel RMB series uses alginate to restructure fat. It can also be used to restructure meat products in cold conditions.