Emulsified Meat Product with Oleogels for Reducing Saturated Fat Content

Emulsified meat products are widely consumed around the world mainly due to their sensory properties and convenience in preparation. The most popular meat emulsions are frankfurters/hot dogs and mortadella/bologna sausage, and its main ingredients are pork meat, pork backfat, salt, nitrite, phosphate, erythorbate, and spices. However, these products are recognized as unhealthy mainly due to their considerable amount of saturated fat; therefore, reformulation is a strategy to make them healthier. Oleogels are structured oils, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, with potential use as an animal fat replacer in meat emulsion. Several oil sources can be used to elaborate oleogels where the most common are vegetable oils such as soybean, sunflower, and canola. The effect of oleogel addition in the making process, formulation, and quality of meat emulsion is approached in this chapter considering the information from literature, industry, regulations, and standards.