Utilizing pulse-protein and canola oil-based emulsions in healthy meat products

Term: 4 years, beginning in 2019
Status: Ongoing
Researcher(s): Supratim Ghosh, Food & Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan
SaskCanola Investment: $100,625
Total Project Cost: $352,625
Funding Partners: Agriculture Development Fund - $252,000

Canola is Saskatchewan’s most economically important crop. New tailored uses for canola oil in processed meat would further increase canola’s visibility and marketability in national and international markets. In the proposed project, the use of pulse proteins to emulsify canola oil would open up value-added opportunities for both Saskatchewan’s canola and pulse industries.

Project Description

Processed animal meat products like sausages, bologna and burgers are typically an emulsified mixture of meat protein and animal fat. This project will evaluate the feasibility of using pulse protein and canola oil based emulsions as an alternative fat replacement for animal fats in these types of products. This can help consumers make dietary choices with lower levels of saturated fats in these foods while maintaining desired sensory properties including taste, visual appearance and shelf stability.

The first two project objectives are dedicated to the preparation of pulse protein-stabilized canola oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and their suitability for application in meat formulations. The third objective is on the preparation of processed meat products using the pre-made pulse protein-stabilized canola O/W emulsions. The fourth objective is to characterize the meat products using physicochemical properties and sensory analysis. Four different types of meat products – breakfast sausages, burgers, bologna sausages and retort processed meat product – will be prepared using selected pulse protein-based emulsions to replace animal fat. Our aim will be to replace up to 80% of the animal fat from the meat products with canola oil. The final objective is to scale up the meat production using formulation and processing parameters developed in our research.

Key Objectives

1. Development of pulse protein-stabilized canola oil-in-water emulsions tailored for meat formulations.

2. Characterization of mechanical properties, microstructure, chemical and thermal stability of pulse protein-based meat emulsion replacer.

3. Preparation of meat products by replacing animal fat with pulse protein-based canola oil emulsion.

4. Characterization of stability, shelf-life, microstructure, texture and sensory properties of the meat products.

5. Scale-up the operation with consumer panel analysis and feasibility study.