The Influence of Psyllium Husk Utilized as a Carbohydrate Substitute on Textural Characteristics of Chicken Sausage and Consumer Preference

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of psyllium husk powder, as a dietary fiber and carbohydrate substitute, on the physicochemical, colorimetric, structural quality, and consumer preference of sausages during storage. The potato starch was replaced by psyllium husk powder in 20%–40%–60%–80%–100% to improve the technological and sensory properties of the new product. Physicochemical analyses revealed that fiber substitution did not affect protein or fat values but reduced carbohydrate and moisture values. Carbohydrate decrease in psyllium husk samples varied between 39.29% and 71.42% and was detected the most in T5 sample. Moisture reduction varied between 2.46% and 6.01% and decreased as the addition rate increased. Cooking loss and total expressible fluid (TEF) during storage increased with the addition of psyllium husk (especially T2). Cooking loss increased the most in the control sample (4.8%) at the end of storage, while the least loss was in the T3 (3.4%) and T1 (3.5%) samples. Furthermore, during storage, there was a slight decrease in brightness in parallel with the psyllium husk replacement rate, but yellowing indexes increased. Instrumental textural analyses showed that 20%–40% of substituted samples (T1, T2) had similar properties to the control. Changes generally occurred in springiness, stickiness, and chewiness properties when substituting up to 60% psyllium husk. In psyllium husk–substituted samples, adhesiveness, resilience, and hardness decreased during storage, while chewiness increased. Consumer acceptance tests showed that panelists preferred sausages produced from white meat more than others, and sensory acceptability was rated above general liking on a hedonic scale of 6–8. When the technological and sensory properties of the products were evaluated together, it was determined that the acceptability of the 40% substituted (T2) sausage sample showed similar characteristics to the control sample, while the 100% substituted (T5) sample had low acceptance. Overall, the findings indicate that psyllium husk substitution has provided functional properties such as low carbohydrate and fibrousness to chicken sausages without affecting the sensory and textural properties. Psyllium husk powder–contained sausage has the potential to be an alternative meat product for individuals who need particular nutritional purposes.