Reduced-Fat Frankfurters with Varying Types of Meat and Fat

This study was conducted to determine sensory and chemical traits of reduced-fat frankfurters made with lean lamb or lean lamb/pork (50%/50%), fat from three different sources(pork fat, lamb fat or high-oleic sunflower oil) and added water products designated as L-P-15, LP-L-15, LP-So-15 and LP-P-15, according to lean meat type, source of added fat and target fat content and to compare such products with a similar reduced-fat product made with lean beef/pork (50%/50%) with pork fat(product designated as BP-P-15) and high-fat products made with lean beef/pork (50%/50%) or lamb/pork (50%/50%) with pork fat (BP-P-30 and LP-P-30). Actual fat contents of reduced-fat and high-fat products formulated for 15% and 30% fat were 17~18% and 28~31%, respectively, after processing. Processing yields were lower for all reduced-fat products than for the high-fat products. Trained sensory panelists rated LP-P-15 less intense in lamb flavor as compared to LP-L-15 and LP-So-15. Off-flavor intensity was positively correlated with lamb-flavor intensity (r=0.80), whereas frankfurter-flavor intensity was negatively correlated with lamb-flavor intensity (-0.88) and off-flavor intensity (r=-0.90). According to consumer panelists, LP-P-15 was as desirable in flavor as BP-P-15 or the two high-fat products (BP-P-30 and LP-P-30), while LP-So-15 and LP-L-15 were not. LP-P-15 and BP-P-15 were not notably different from their high-fat counterparts in juiciness and texture desirability and overall palatability. Regardless of fat content, meat type and fat source, there was little lipid oxidation when vacuum-packaged products were refrigerated for 12 weeks.