Optimization of beef patties produced with vegetable oils: a mixture design approach and sensory evaluation

The exaggerated consumption of fast food and ready to eat products is a common practice which results in an unbalanced intake of saturated fats. In order to improve the fat composition of beef patties, mixture design was used to optimize the inclusion of pomace olive oil (POO) and canola oil (CO). Cooking yield, moisture retention, diameter reduction, color, texture and sensorial parameters were accessed. Models showed, with a 94.5% of variance explained, that the inclusion of POO and CO should be limited in order to maintain a low acidity index and texture parameters comparable to commercial burgers of similar composition. Preference test, consumer profile, acceptability, penalty analysis and Check-all-that-apply (CATA) results indicated that a parcial replacement of pork fat (PF) can be considered. In sum, formulations with improved fat composition (50 or 33% replaced animal fat by POO and CO) were obtained.