September 14, 2021

7 Benefits of AgriFiber MFC as a Meat Extender for Manufacturers

Our AgriFiber MFC meat extender provides numerous benefits to meat product formulations and plant-based alternatives. Below, we detail seven benefits of choosing to use AgriFiber’s MFC, which can be used for functional, cost, and nutritional purposes, in your products.

1. Increased Yield as a Meat Extender

One of the primary functions of AgriFiber MFC is to increase the yield of formulas as a meat extender. It can increase the yield of meat products significantly. In fact, research has demonstrated that adding AgriFiber MFC to precooked meat applications like beef and turkey patties and sausages can increase yield by up to 20%. 

The increase in yield represents a significant reduction in cost for companies that manufacture meat products and plant-based alternatives. 


2. Clean Label Alternative

Clean label products are those that contain few ingredients, and the ingredients included are natural and recognizable by the average consumer. AgriFiber MFC, a corn bran fiber ingredient, is a natural and improved alternative to chemical and artificial additives, like carrageenan, that aim to achieve the same benefits mentioned here.  


3. Improved Juiciness

Juiciness is one of the qualities associated with higher-quality meat products, whereas drier meat products are associated with low quality and acceptability. AgriFiber MFC helps to improve the water-holding capacity, perceived as juiciness by consumers, of both meat-based products and plant-based alternatives (1).  

AgriFiber MFC helps to hold in water and oil within the meat. When integrated into meat products, the gel provides juiciness and moisture that consumers expect in high-quality meat products. 

This quality is also highly relevant for plant-based meat alternatives, as the ingredients used to make them do not naturally retain moisture. 


4. Improved Flavor

Standard meat products lose characteristic volatile flavor components during storage and cooking when liquid and moisture are lost (2).

The AgriFiber MFC has a functional property that allows volatiles responsible for flavors in meat products to be retained. The result is a product that consumers can appreciate for a complex, full flavor. 


5. Improved Nutritional Value Composition Preserving Mouthfeel

AgriFiber MFC improves the nutritional value of your meat products in two ways: it adds fiber and has the potential to reduce fat in product formulation. 

Reduced Fat 

In standard meat products, higher fat composition is responsible for a more desirable mouthfeel. However, over the past decade, health researchers, international organizations, and state departments have educated the population about the importance of choosing low-fat options when purchasing meats for health (3, 4). 

When it comes to meat products, consumers seek those that are lower in fat while still retaining the mouthfeel they are accustomed to. 

Lower fat meat products with the ideal mouthfeel are possible with AgriFiber MFC. The multi-functional corn bran fiber helps meats retain moisture while replacing fat content. 

How much can AgriFiber MFC reduce the fat content in meat products? 

Researchers took a sausage-based formulation with 20% fat and replaced the fat content at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% increments. The fat content of the sausage product could be reduced to as low as 3.2% fat, while still retaining yield, juiciness, and flavor (5). 


Higher Fiber

Health organizations recommend that people consume between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day from food. Currently, the average intake of fiber is about 15 grams a day. 

Conventional ready-to-eat meals are often low in fiber.  AgriFiber MFC is made of natural corn bran fiber; its use in products and ready-to-eat meals containing meat makes way for the functional and cost benefits associated with its use and boosts the nutritional composition of food products. 

6. Promotes Sustainability 

AgriFiber MFC is an upcycled product that utilizes raw materials that would otherwise be discarded.

Additionally, AgriFiber MFC can reduce the environmental impact and cost of disposing of fats derived from processed meat production (Biological Oxygen Demand). 

7. High Consumer Acceptability

Research conducted on the use of AgriFiber MFC evaluated the consumer acceptability of its applications in meat products. 

It evaluated consumer acceptability regarding color, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall acceptance in applications where AgriFiber MFC replaced 25% and 50% of the fat in a sausage product. 

When compared to the control formulation without AgriFiber MFC, the following was concluded (4): 

  • When AgriFiber MFC replaced 25% of the fat, it was equally acceptable as the control
  • When AgriFiber MFC replaced 50% of the fat, it was more acceptable than the control

Conclusion

AgriFiber MFC is a high-performance, clean-label ingredient that replaces the need for artificial ingredients of lower quality and with limited functionality. From a consumer’s standpoint, meat products and plant-based alternatives containing AgriFiber MFC in the formulation have improved nutritional value, flavor, and mouthfeel. From a manufacturer’s point of view, utilizing AgriFiber MFC helps reduce costs while complying with clean label requirements. 

Request a technical sheet today. 


References

  1. Warner, R. (2017). The Eating Quality of Meat—IV Water-Holding Capacity and Juiciness. Lawrie´S Meat Science, 419-459. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-100694-8.00014-5
  2. Khan, M., Jo, C., & Tariq, M. (2015). Meat flavor precursors and factors influencing flavor precursors—A systematic review. Meat Science, 110, 278-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2015.08.002
  3. AskUSDA. Ask.usda.gov. (2019). Retrieved 23 August 2021, from https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Why-is-it-important-to-make-lean-or-low-fat-choices-from-the-Protein-Foods-Group.
  4. Healthy diet. Who.int. (2021). Retrieved 23 August 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet.
  5. Almeida, C., Wagner, R., Mascarin, L., Zepka, L., & Campagnol, P. (2014). Production of Low-Fat Emulsified Cooked Sausages Using Amorphous Cellulose Gel. Journal Of Food Quality, 37(6), 437-443. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfq.12104

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7 Benefits of AgriFiber MFC as a Meat Extender for Manufacturers

Our AgriFiber MFC meat extender provides numerous benefits to meat product formulations and plant-based alternatives. Below, we detail seven benefits of choosing to use AgriFiber’s MFC, which can be used for functional, cost, and nutritional purposes, in your products.

1. Increased Yield as a Meat Extender

One of the primary functions of AgriFiber MFC is to increase the yield of formulas as a meat extender. It can increase the yield of meat products significantly. In fact, research has demonstrated that adding AgriFiber MFC to precooked meat applications like beef and turkey patties and sausages can increase yield by up to 20%. 

The increase in yield represents a significant reduction in cost for companies that manufacture meat products and plant-based alternatives. 


2. Clean Label Alternative

Clean label products are those that contain few ingredients, and the ingredients included are natural and recognizable by the average consumer. AgriFiber MFC, a corn bran fiber ingredient, is a natural and improved alternative to chemical and artificial additives, like carrageenan, that aim to achieve the same benefits mentioned here.  


3. Improved Juiciness

Juiciness is one of the qualities associated with higher-quality meat products, whereas drier meat products are associated with low quality and acceptability. AgriFiber MFC helps to improve the water-holding capacity, perceived as juiciness by consumers, of both meat-based products and plant-based alternatives (1).  

AgriFiber MFC helps to hold in water and oil within the meat. When integrated into meat products, the gel provides juiciness and moisture that consumers expect in high-quality meat products. 

This quality is also highly relevant for plant-based meat alternatives, as the ingredients used to make them do not naturally retain moisture. 


4. Improved Flavor

Standard meat products lose characteristic volatile flavor components during storage and cooking when liquid and moisture are lost (2).

The AgriFiber MFC has a functional property that allows volatiles responsible for flavors in meat products to be retained. The result is a product that consumers can appreciate for a complex, full flavor. 


5. Improved Nutritional Value Composition Preserving Mouthfeel

AgriFiber MFC improves the nutritional value of your meat products in two ways: it adds fiber and has the potential to reduce fat in product formulation. 

Reduced Fat 

In standard meat products, higher fat composition is responsible for a more desirable mouthfeel. However, over the past decade, health researchers, international organizations, and state departments have educated the population about the importance of choosing low-fat options when purchasing meats for health (3, 4). 

When it comes to meat products, consumers seek those that are lower in fat while still retaining the mouthfeel they are accustomed to. 

Lower fat meat products with the ideal mouthfeel are possible with AgriFiber MFC. The multi-functional corn bran fiber helps meats retain moisture while replacing fat content. 

How much can AgriFiber MFC reduce the fat content in meat products? 

Researchers took a sausage-based formulation with 20% fat and replaced the fat content at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% increments. The fat content of the sausage product could be reduced to as low as 3.2% fat, while still retaining yield, juiciness, and flavor (5). 


Higher Fiber

Health organizations recommend that people consume between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day from food. Currently, the average intake of fiber is about 15 grams a day. 

Conventional ready-to-eat meals are often low in fiber.  AgriFiber MFC is made of natural corn bran fiber; its use in products and ready-to-eat meals containing meat makes way for the functional and cost benefits associated with its use and boosts the nutritional composition of food products. 

6. Promotes Sustainability 

AgriFiber MFC is an upcycled product that utilizes raw materials that would otherwise be discarded.

Additionally, AgriFiber MFC can reduce the environmental impact and cost of disposing of fats derived from processed meat production (Biological Oxygen Demand). 

7. High Consumer Acceptability

Research conducted on the use of AgriFiber MFC evaluated the consumer acceptability of its applications in meat products. 

It evaluated consumer acceptability regarding color, aroma, flavor, texture, and overall acceptance in applications where AgriFiber MFC replaced 25% and 50% of the fat in a sausage product. 

When compared to the control formulation without AgriFiber MFC, the following was concluded (4): 

  • When AgriFiber MFC replaced 25% of the fat, it was equally acceptable as the control
  • When AgriFiber MFC replaced 50% of the fat, it was more acceptable than the control

Conclusion

AgriFiber MFC is a high-performance, clean-label ingredient that replaces the need for artificial ingredients of lower quality and with limited functionality. From a consumer’s standpoint, meat products and plant-based alternatives containing AgriFiber MFC in the formulation have improved nutritional value, flavor, and mouthfeel. From a manufacturer’s point of view, utilizing AgriFiber MFC helps reduce costs while complying with clean label requirements. 

Request a technical sheet today. 


References

  1. Warner, R. (2017). The Eating Quality of Meat—IV Water-Holding Capacity and Juiciness. Lawrie´S Meat Science, 419-459. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-100694-8.00014-5
  2. Khan, M., Jo, C., & Tariq, M. (2015). Meat flavor precursors and factors influencing flavor precursors—A systematic review. Meat Science, 110, 278-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2015.08.002
  3. AskUSDA. Ask.usda.gov. (2019). Retrieved 23 August 2021, from https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Why-is-it-important-to-make-lean-or-low-fat-choices-from-the-Protein-Foods-Group.
  4. Healthy diet. Who.int. (2021). Retrieved 23 August 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet.
  5. Almeida, C., Wagner, R., Mascarin, L., Zepka, L., & Campagnol, P. (2014). Production of Low-Fat Emulsified Cooked Sausages Using Amorphous Cellulose Gel. Journal Of Food Quality, 37(6), 437-443. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfq.12104

By filling out this form, you agree to receive communication from AgriFiber, including up-to-date information about this event and other relevant marketing communication.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.