Sunflower oil oleogels as alternative fat in hybrid meat patties

Hybrid plant-based products, where plant-based ingredients replace animal ingredients, are in growing demand to meet sustainability and nutritional claims. In these products the use of saturated fat like coconut oil to provide solid like texture is under concern. Therefore, the study aim was to investigate the effect of using two sunflower oil oleogels (produced employing hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as unique oleogelator (OG) and with additional xanthan gum thickener (OGX), as alternative vegetable fat source in hybrid meat patties and improve the sensory and nutritional profile. For this, a thirty eight percent replacement of the animal batter in hamburger was achieved by using texturized pea protein and vegetable fat sources. Their chemical properties and sensory characteristics were compared to a hybrid product containing coconut oil as animal fat replacement and to 100 % pork hamburger. Coco hybrid patties were characterized by a saturated fatty acid profile that gives suitable texture characteristics but it was less suitable from a nutritional point of view. Oleogels improved the nutritional fatty acid profile of hybrid patties, reduced their cooked losses and decrease the lightness, hardness and chewiness of patties, being the lowest in OGX patties. Consumers distinguished clearly pork control from hybrid patties. While coco patty presented the greatest difference with respect to the control hamburger and characterized by coconut aroma, gummy texture, and red-caramel colour, oleogel patties (OG and OGX) showed attributes similar to the characteristics of pork patties, such us meaty aroma, salty, yellow-brown colour, among others although differences were mainly in texture attributes.