INFLUENCE OF PROTEIN AND FAT-CONTENT AND COOKING TEMPERATURE ON TEXTURE AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF BOLOGNA SAUSAGE

Considering the possibility of adjusting the properties of low-fat products in the light of how these properties are influenced by both composition and a number of processing factors, the purpose of this research was to assess the effects of protein content (P, ranging from 100 to 160 g/kg), fat level (F, ranging from 101 to 220 g/kg) and cooking temperature (CT, ranging from 77 degrees C to 105 degrees C) on the instrumental textures and sensory evaluation of Bologna sausages. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to study simultaneously the effect of two composition variables and one processing variable. Significant models of regression were established for hardness, chewiness, penetration force, work of penetration and the sensory parameters texture and overall acceptability. These models indicate that protein content was the variable which most influenced the characteristics of the product; cooking conditions, on the other hand, had scarcely any effect at all on sausage texture and sensory evaluation. Both fat and protein percentages generally had a significant direct linear effect on instrumental textural parameters. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited