Physical, Chemical, and Sensory Characteristics of Chicken Sausages Using Corn Oil Instead of Pork Back Fat

Meat and meat products contain important nutrients, such as proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and trace elements that are important for our diet; however, these products also contain elements that can promote the development of multiple diseases, which compels the food industry to create healthier food alternatives. According to the Health and Nutrition Survey (2018), the Ecuadorian diet includes 24% of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and sausages are among the most highly consumed food items. The objective of this research was to develop a sausage with a lower SFA contribution by replacing pork back fat with corn oil without affecting its physicochemical characteristics and sensory acceptability. Two formulations were prepared: pork fat (FT) and corn oil (CO). As the sausage was made, the division in order of vegetable oil addition and cooking start temperature was strictly controlled. The technological properties, proximal composition, fatty acid profile, microbiological quality, and sensory acceptability were analyzed. The results showed that the water loss of FT is higher than that of CO by 1.23%. The two formulations presented an average in total animal proteins of 13.4%, meaning the protein is classified as Type I according to NTE 1338. As for the fatty acid profile, CO contains 20.5% less SFA than FT and has a significantly higher amount of PUFA (by 42.2%). The overall average acceptance was 4.4% with no statistically significant difference between samples. At 30 days of refrigerated storage, an E. coli population < 10UFC/g and absence of Salmonella were found. The results show that it is possible to replace 100% of back fat with vegetable oil.