Emulsion gel has been used to replace animal fats in meat products. Konjac is a widely used gelling agent; however, its low emulsion stability limits its use in meat products. This study aimed to examine the quality characteristics of β-cyclodextrin (CD)-supplemented konjac-based emulsion gel (KEG) (CD-KEG) and its application as a fat substitute in emulsion-type sausages. The supplementation of CD increased hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with konjac and oil in the gels, respectively. Additionally, CD increased the structural complexity and strength of KEG. Since adding more than 6% of CD to KEG did not increase the gel strength, 6% CD-added KEG was adopted to substitute for pork backfat in manufacturing low-fat emulsion-type sausages. The following formulations of the sausages were prepared: pork backfat 20% (PF20); pork backfat 10% + KEG 10% (KEG10); KEG 20% (KEG20); pork backfat 10% + CD-KEG 10% (CD-KEG10); CD-KEG 20% (CD-KEG20); and pork backfat 5% (PF5). The CD-KEG20 formulation exhibited higher viscosity and viscoelasticity than KEG20, which suggested that CD improves the rheological properties and the thermal stability of meat batter. Additionally, CD-KEG20 showed similar emulsion stability, cooking yield and texture parameters compared with PF20. Therefore, 6% CD-added KEG is a suitable fat substitute for preparing low-fat emulsion-type sausages.
Keywords: emulsion gel; fat substitute; konjac; low-fat sausage; β-cyclodextrin.