Healthier meat products
A diet rich in saturated fats and processed sugars has led to an alarming increase in heart disease and obesity across the globe. Even the Mediterranean countries, birthplace of the famous diet based on olive oil, are not immune to this phenomenon. Foods engineered to be healthier for us, known as neutraceuticals, are becoming ever more popular as awareness of the role that our diet plays in these diseases grows. A research project titled 'Development of new neutraceutical meat products' (Nutrameat) set its sights on making healthier meat products. Working with EU funding, the Nutrameat team emulsified meat, incorporated various beneficial ingredients, such as vegetable fibre, and reconstituted the meat into a paste for use in sausages and other similar products. A special enzyme called transglutaminase (TG) was used to bind the emulsions. No matter how healthy the food is, nobody will reap its benefits if its taste, texture and other aspects aren't appealing. Therefore, testing with industry experts as well as consumers was a crucial component of the Nutrameat project. One aspect that came to light during these trials was that what may be acceptable in one country may not be in another, even in a geographically close neighbour. It also became apparent that consumers that were informed about the product's health benefits were more likely to endorse it. The Nutrameat results prove that it is in fact possible to eat healthier without sacrificing the pleasures of food.
