Thermo-rheological properties and cooking yield of sausage-type products as affected by levels of fat and added-water

Consumer interest in low fat foods has led meat processors to introduce low fat sausages with high added-water. The purpose of this study was to use dynamic thermo-rheological techniques to study the influence of fat and added water on sausage batters and cooking yields during heating. Twenty different sausage batters were formulated to 15-30% fat and 18-35% added water. Batters were heated in a thermal scanning rheometer from 20-80C in increments of 1C/min. Rheograms of all barters showed a gradual decrease in storage modulus (G') as temperature increased from 20-59C. Significant changes in G' occurred in the range of 60-75C leading to the formation of rigid gel networks. Batters with levels of fat less than or equal to 24% and added water > 24% or levels of fat and added water greater than or equal to 27% showed increased cooking yields. Rheological measurements suggested that levels of added water influenced the G' of batters during heating and that high levels of added water could be used in sausage formulations without adversely affecting product yield.