Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory, Dept. of Animal Sciences, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN 47907, U.S.A.
Process Engineering R&D Center, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX 77843, U.S.A.
J Food Sci. 2017 Dec;82(12):2787-2793. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.13960. Epub 2017 Nov 2.
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of house cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour addition on physicochemical and textural properties of meat emulsion under various formulations. As an initial marker of functionality, protein solubility, water absorption, emulsifying capacity, and gel formation ability of house cricket flour were determined at pH (2 to 10) and NaCl concentrations (0 to 2.10 M). Control emulsion was formulated with 60% lean pork, 20% back fat, and 20% ice. Six treatment emulsions were prepared with replacement of lean pork and/or back fat portions with spray-dried house cricket flour at 5% and 10% levels, based on a total sample weight. The protein solubility of house cricket flour (67 g protein/100 g) was significantly altered depending upon pH (P < 0.0001) and NaCl concentration (P = 0.0421). Similar water absorption capacity, emulsifying capacity, and gel formation ability of house cricket flour were found between 0 and 2.10 M NaCl concentration (P > 0.05). The replacement of lean meat/fat portion with house cricket flour within 10% level could fortify protein and some micronutrients (phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium) in meat emulsion, without negative impacts on cooking yield and textural properties. Our results suggest that house cricket flour can be used as an effective nonmeat functional ingredient to manufacture emulsified meat products.
To better utilize house cricket flour as a food ingredient in wide application, understanding its technological properties in various pH, and ionic strength conditions is a pivotal step. Protein solubility of house cricket flour would be considerably affected by the varying pH and NaCl concentrations of applied conventional foods. In the case of meat emulsion, within 10% lean meat and/or fat portions could be successfully substituted with house cricket flour without detectable adverse impacts on technological properties associated with cooking yield and instrumental analysis of texture. Thus, our findings suggest that house cricket flour possess the necessary physical properties to be used as an alternative nonmeat ingredient for incorporation within emulsified meat products, which could be further explored in subsequent sensory-based studies.
本研究的目的是确定家蟋蟀（Acheta domesticus）面粉添加对不同配方下肉乳化液理化和质构特性的影响。作为功能的初始标志物，测定了家蟋蟀粉在 pH（2 至 10）和 NaCl 浓度（0 至 2.10 M）下的蛋白质溶解度、水吸收、乳化能力和凝胶形成能力。对照乳液由 60%瘦肉、20%背脂和 20%冰制成。根据总样品重量，用喷雾干燥的家蟋蟀粉替代 5%和 10%的瘦肉和/或背脂部分，制备了 6 种处理乳液。家蟋蟀粉的蛋白质溶解度（67 克蛋白质/100 克）取决于 pH（P < 0.0001）和 NaCl 浓度（P = 0.0421）。在 0 至 2.10 M NaCl 浓度范围内，家蟋蟀粉的水吸收能力、乳化能力和凝胶形成能力相似（P > 0.05）。在 10%的水平内用家蟋蟀粉替代瘦肉/脂肪部分可以强化肉乳化液中的蛋白质和一些微量营养素（磷、钾和镁），而不会对蒸煮产率和质构特性产生负面影响。我们的结果表明，家蟋蟀粉可以作为一种有效的非肉类功能性成分，用于制造乳化肉类产品。
为了更好地将家蟋蟀粉作为一种广泛应用的食品成分加以利用，了解其在各种 pH 值和离子强度条件下的技术特性是关键的一步。家蟋蟀粉的蛋白质溶解度会受到所应用的常规食品 pH 值和 NaCl 浓度的显著影响。在肉乳化液的情况下，10%的瘦肉和/或脂肪部分可以成功地用家蟋蟀粉替代，而对与蒸煮产率和质构分析相关的技术特性没有可察觉的不利影响。因此，我们的研究结果表明，家蟋蟀粉具有作为替代非肉类成分的必要物理特性，可用于乳化肉产品中，这可以在后续的基于感官的研究中进一步探索。
