Effect of re-fed meat in beef hamburger production

Abstract

Background

In food production, re-feeding material into the manufacturing process is common practice to meet ecological and economical requirements. In production of hamburgers, the products with external imperfections are re-fed in a frozen, coarsely crushed state.

Results

In this study, the influence of the addition of frozen, pre-crushed hamburgers (re-fed meat) during the manufacturing process on the structural, physico-chemical, functional, and quality attributes of the hamburgers was assessed. The recording of process control parameters showed no changes among the samples. It was further found that most of the studied parameters remained nearly unaffected by the addition of re-fed meat (RFM) up to 20%. Neither the specific mechanical energy input during grinding, the histologically determined amount of non-intact cells, nor the sensory characterization of the samples differed strongly upon the addition of RFM.

Conclusion

The results indicate that it is technologically feasible to re-feed unimpaired, high-quality material due to ecological and economical reasons and still maintain high product quality. However, to ensure product safety, microbiological and hygienic standards must be maintained and controlled during processing.