Chicken nuggets with cricket (Acheta domesticus) flour as a meat replacer
摘要
This study aimed to assess the incorporation of cricket flour (Acheta domesticus) at 0% (CRF0), 2.5% (CRF2.5), 5.0% (CRF5.0), and 7.5% (CRF7.5) as a chicken meat replacer in nuggets and its effect on the technological, physicochemical, and microbiological properties during frozen storage. The addition of cricket flour significantly increased the pick-up values (p < 0.05), leading to a higher protein content in CRF7.5 (17.35 g/100 g) compared to CRF0 (14.20 g/100 g) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, pH and color parameters were influenced by the inclusion of cricket flour. Compared to CRF0, chicken nuggets with cricket flour were browner. No differences in texture parameters were observed (p > 0.05). Microbiological analysis revealed that the cricket flour did not negatively impact the final product viability. This study demonstrated that replacing up to 7.5% chicken meat with cricket flour in frozen nuggets is viable.