Evaluation of nutritional, chemical, and microbiological changes in trout fish meatballs enriched with hemp flour
摘要
This study investigated the effects of hemp flour (HF) addition on the nutritional, chemical, and microbiological quality of trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fish meatballs during frozen storage at − 18 °C for 10 months. Fish meatballs were produced using five different formulations in which wheat starch was partially or completely replaced with HF at substitution levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Increasing HF levels increased protein (18.18–22.90%), lipid (5.02–9.08%), and ash contents (62.32–64.94%). At the end of storage, HF-enriched groups showed lower total saturated fatty acids (19.24–23.50%), atherogenic index, and thrombogenic index, while exhibiting higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (28.14–41.55%), n-6/n-3 ratios, and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratios compared to the control group. Monounsaturated fatty acid content ranged from 31.97 to 39.95%. The values of total volatile basic nitrogen (23.24–24.65 mg/100 g), pH (6.27–6.34), thiobarbituric acid (1.77–2.28 mg MDA/kg), peroxide value (10.11–14.05 meq O₂/kg), free fatty acids (5.64–5.85% oleic acid), and total mesophilic (6.48–6.95 log CFU/g) and psychrophilic (6.53–6.89 log CFU/g) bacterial counts remained within acceptable limits in all groups after storage. Except for pH, chemical and microbiological parameters were generally lower in HF-treated groups compared to the control. Based on the overall evaluation of nutritional, chemical, microbiological, and fatty acid profiles, the substitution of wheat starch with up to 75% (w/w) HF is recommended for fish meatball formulations. The results demonstrate that hemp flour improves the nutritional and lipid quality of trout fish meatballs while maintaining their chemical and microbiological stability, highlighting its potential application in functional seafood product development.