Development and evaluation of lipid substitution approaches to reformulation of raw fermented sausage

Natural lipids are mixtures of lipophilic substances consisting mainly of esters of glycerol and various fatty acids. The chemical structure of the fatty acyl residues has the crucial influence on the physical state of the triglycerides and the whole lipid matrix of a biomaterial, such as adipose tissue. More specifically, the presence of double bonds within the acyl moieties decreases drastically the melting point of a triglyceride: for instance, melting points of two triglycerides fully substituted with saturated octadecanoic (stearic) acid C17H35COOH and monounsaturated octadecenoic (oleic) acid C17H33COOH in ββ ́1 crystal form are 64°C and -13°C respectively [1,2]. For that reason the direct substitution of animal fat with a vegetable oil in meat products would inevitably lead to textural changes and increased softness of the product. Softness is a desired quality in such products as spread sausage. However it can have a negative influence on the acceptability of firm sausage, such as salami. Furthermore, certain meat products such as mortadella or firm raw fermented sausage are expected to present the traditional image containing visible lipid particles.