title: Quality characteristics of fried lamb nuggets from low-value meat cuts: Effect of formulation and freezing storage.
abstract: This study revealed the possibility of manufacturing prefried lamb nuggets from low-value cuts (flank) and evaluated the effect of formulation (50:50 vs. 20:80 of leg/flank cuts) and freezing (-20 ℃ for two months) on different quality parameters. Frying process produced a decrease of water content, an increase in lipid oxidation indicators, and an intense browning of nuggets surface. The use of flank up to a 75% of the total meat in the formula led to higher fat contents and higher polyunsaturated fatty acid proportions in fried nuggets. This made them more prone to get oxidized during the freezing storage and subsequent final frying. Nuggets with a higher proportion of flank also showed lower shear force values. However, nuggets with both formulations showed similar sensory acceptance. Freezing storage of lamb meat nuggets for two months increased the levels of lipid oxidation indicators, but again not to a level high enough to influence the sensory perception by consumers. So that, frozen nuggets from both formulations showed similar consumer acceptance to freshly produced ones with quite good scores (3.46-3.86 out of 5). Thus, low-value lamb cuts are suitable for being processed into highly acceptable prefried frozen lamb nuggets, which constitutes an opportunity for adding value to the whole lamb value chain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production and Food Science (Food Technology), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Milagros
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production and Food Science (Food Technology), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Antequera
authors.affiliation: Dairy, Meat and Plant Product Technology, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production and Food Science (Food Technology), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Estefanía
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Martín
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production and Food Science (Food Technology), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain triny@unex.es.
authors.forename: Trinidad
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pérez-Palacios
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D003296:Cooking; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000032:analysis; D005518:Food Preferences; D063427:Food Quality; D061353:Food Storage; D005628:Frozen Foods / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity; D015416:Maillard Reaction; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis* / Q000191:economics; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D033081:Shear Strength; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D013030:Spain; D013649:Taste; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D014867:Water
keywords: Nuggets; formulation; freezing; frying; lamb; low-value meat pieces