TRIALS FOR IMPROVING BEEF BURGER QUALITY USING SOME NATURAL ADDITIVES AS ALTERNATIVES TO CHEMICAL PHOSPHATE

Tolba Khalid*, Naglaa A. El Taib and Hanan R. Ghanayem

ABSTRACT

Nowadays natural preservative replacers are being used as alternatives to synthetic ones. As these natural replacers could maintain product quality, keep the same technological effects, improving sensory properties and increasing shelf-life resulting in healthy food and keeping human health. So, this study was investigated for using guar gum (GG), gum Arabic (GA) and milk calcium (MC) at a concentration of 0.3% and 0.5% as a phosphate replacer (0.3% Na2HPO4) and evaluated its effect on physicochemical, microbial and sensorial properties of beef burger. The results showed that GG (0.5%) and GA (0.5%) were the best natural preservatives replacer as they achieved the lowest APC and S. aureus count (3.6±0.1, 3.2±0.03, 2.16±0.02 and 2.56±0.04 log cfu/g), respectively. While GG (0.5%) had the complete inhibitory effect on E. coli count. Also, cooking loss significantly decreased due to the adding of gums in compared to control group and the fried burger with GA (0.5%) had the lowest cooking loss percentage by 30% in relation to pH among the studied groups. Sensorially, all parameters analyzed were not affected by the replacement of Na2HPO4 by the different concentration of gum and milk calcium. The use of GG, GA and MC is a viable alternative to be used as Na2HPO4 replacers in the preparation of beef burgers.

Keywords: Guar gum (GG), Gum Arabic (GA), Milk calcium (MC), APC, E. coli and S. aureus.