FAT CONTENT IN FINELY COMMINUTED COOKED AND LIVER SAUSAGES ON SERBIAN RETAIL MARKET

Abstract

Finely comminuted cooked sausages and liver sausages, which belong to emulsion type of sausages, are among the most popular meat products worldwide. Taste, convenience and low price are just a few of the reasons why these products are so popular. On the other hand, these meat products have a high content of fat that is required for sensory perception of juiciness, flavor and texture. However, fat from meat and meat products contain high amount of saturated fatty acids, which are frequently recognized as dietary elements that may contribute to the development of chronic noncommunicable diseases. Consequently, high fat content, typically 20–30% in finely comminuted cooked sausages and up to 40% in some liver sausages/pates, may be perceived negatively by consumers, as consumers nowadays become more aware of the link between food and health. The aim of this paper was to conduct a comparative analysis of the fat content in total of 34 meat samples produced by 14 most represented meat producers on the Serbian retail market. Twenty one (n=21) sample belonged to a group of finely comminuted sausages (11 were chicken hot dogs and 10 pork hot dogs) and thirteen (n=13) samples belonged to a group of liver sausages (13 liver pates). Fat content in the finely comminuted cooked sausages ranged from 13.5 to 20.9 g/100 g, of which fat span in chicken hot dogs was from 13.5 to 20.7 g/100 g and in pork hot dogs was from 15.5 to 20.9 g/100 g. The most of the chicken hot dogs samples (27.3%) contained between 18 and 19 g/100 g of fat, while spans of 13-14, 14-15 and 16-17 g/100 g were noted in 18.2% samples, separately. The highest fat content among chicken hot dog samples of 19-20 and 20-21 g/100 g ranges was found in two groups of 9.1% samples. The largest group of pork hot dogs (40%) was characterized by fat content of 16-17 g/100 g, while two groups of 20% of samples contained between 15-16 g/100 g and 20-21 g/100 g fat share. Fat content between 17-18 and 19-20 g/100 g were detected in two groups of 10% of samples. The fat content in the examined samples of liver sausages varied from 22.1 to 32.0 g/100 g. In the majority of the liver pate samples (30.8%) fat content ranged from 23 to 24 g/100 g. In two groups of 23.1% samples, fat content ranged from 22 to 23 and from 25 to 26 g/100g. Fat content from 24 to 25, from 30 to 31 and from 32 to 33 g/100 g were detected in three groups of 7.7% of samples, separately. The fat content of finely comminuted cooked sausages and liver sausages produced by the 14 represented meat producers on the Serbian retail market was consistent with literature data and represents normal fat contents in that type of meat products. As most current dietary guidelines recommend keeping relative fat intake to 30% of total daily energy, meat processors can think about the reducing fat content.