Influence of cooking method, fat content and food additives on physicochemical and nutritional properties of beef meatballs fortified with sugarcane fibre

This study explored effects of different cooking methods, pork fat addition and food additives on physicochemical and nutritional attributes of beef meatballs fortified, or not, with 3% sugarcane fibre. TPA hardness of meatballs with fibre, cooked in boiling water, was lower compared to oven-baked and pan-fried (47.11, 56.24 and 59.22 N, respectively). Hardness also decreased with increasing fat content (5%, 10%, 15% and 20% fat; 62.07, 56.96, 54.02 and 45.51 N, respectively). Tetrasodium pyrophosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate provided similar results for all parameters except ash content where cooked meatballs with the latter were higher (1.98% and 2.22%, respectively). Cooking loss of 20% fat meatballs with fibre was lower (17.14%) compared to without fibre (20.28%). Loss of nutrients after cooking was lower for oven-baked compared to boiling. Using different ingredients to manipulate quality traits of meatballs is an alternative to manufacture suitable products for different market requirements, for example for elderly consumers.