Influence of Oil Structuring Methods on the Application of Red Palm Oil as Fat Replacer: Emulsion Gelation, Oleogelation Template Emulsion, and Biphasic Gelation

Emulsion gel (EG), Oleogel template emulsion (OGTE), and Biphasic Gel (BG) are oil structuring methods that are currently gaining attention as fat replacers. This research aimed to evaluate the incorporation of red palm oil (RPO) in beef sausages through different oil structuring methods (EG, OGTE, BG). Soy protein concentrate (SPC) and carrageenan were used as the stabilizer. The gels' physicochemical properties, the characteristics of beef sausages, and the β-carotene degradation in the beef sausages during storage were evaluated. The results showed that the highest hardness of the gel was found in BG (1.23 N). All gels exhibited good water and oil holding capacity (above 90%). The β-carotene content of the gels from the lowest to the highest, respectively, was 247.81 ppm (BG), 417.83 ppm (EG), and 660.53 ppm (OGTE). Regarding overall characteristics, structuring methods influenced the properties of the sausages. In general, substituting animal fat with gels resulted in low cooking loss, with a range of 6–8%. Increasing the % substitution of animal fat with gels decreased the fat content of the sausages. Water content was higher in sausages formulated with gels. In addition, the hardness of the sausages decreased by almost 50% due to the substitution of animal fat, with sausages prepared with OGTE having the highest hardness values. Storage evaluation at 10, 29, 35, 45, and 55 °C showed that temperature ranges highly influenced the reaction order of β-carotene degradation. Our results show that EG had the fastest degradation of β-carotene during storage.