Probiotication of cooked sausages employing agroindustrial coproducts as prebiotic co‐encapsulant in ionotropic alginate–pectin gels

Cooked sausages were formulated inoculating alginate–pectin microcapsules containing agroindustrial coproducts, cactus pear peel flour or apple marc flour, seeking to enhance the nutritional value of cooked meat products. The microcapsules increased total moisture (from 66 to 75% in average), but water was not being physically retained since higher expressible moisture values in inoculated samples were observed (20% as compared to 15% in control). Inoculated samples presented higher lactic acid bacteria populations, since in addition to the thermotolerant capacity of the bacteria, encapsulation added a protective barrier for the bacteria to survive. Higher lactic acid bacteria counts were reflected in fewer coliforms in inoculated samples (<0.001 log CFU after 15 days of storage), with no detrimental effect on texture. Natural antioxidants present in agroindustrial coproducts decreased the oxidative rancidity of lipids for storage. The results imply that agroindustrial coproducts are a good alternative to formulate symbiotic functional ingredients that can be employed to improve the nutritional properties of nondairy thermal processed food products, like cooked emulsified meat products.