Effect of oil-modified crosslinked starch as a new fat replacer on gel properties, water distribution, and microstructures of pork meat batter

This work investigated the effects of oil-modified crosslinked starch (Oil-CTS) as a fat replacer on the gel properties, water distribution, microstructures, and fatty acid composition of pork meat batter. Results showed that the replacement of pork back fat by Oil-CTS could improve the gel performance in terms of rheological property, texture, and water-holding capacity (WHC), and reduce the water mobility of pork meat gels, which caused by the formation of a more ordered and denser protein network structure. Additionally, when the fat was replaced by Oil-CTS partially or totally (25-100 %), the total fat content in pork meat gels decreased by 16.5-82 % and the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) content decreased from 5.87 g/100 g in untreated sample to 1.17-4.88 g/100 g in starch-replacing-fat samples, indicating Oil-CTS could be used as a fat replacer to prepare the low-fat meat products.