Boosting dietary fibre content with 'hidden' fibre

In much the same way that your mother used to ‘hide’ vegetables in your dinner, food scientists are coming up with novel ways to boost the fibre content of foods to address the dietary fibre shortfall in many people’s diets.

A research team at the University of Missouri (MU) has found a way to address the fibre deficit without compromising quality and taste: adding citrus fibre to minced beef.

Ayca Gedikoglu, a PhD candidate studying food science at MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Andrew Clarke, associate professor of food science, recently completed the first test on a citrus meatball recipe.

Ayca Gedikoglu.

The test analysed three batches of meatballs, each with varying percentages of the meat substituted with citrus powder, to assess how much of the powder could be added without adversely affecting the meatballs’ texture and cooking characteristics. Citrus powder was added in 1, 5 and 10% increments.

Gedikoglu discovered that the citrus fibre increased the cooking yield of the meatball recipe, and that the texture and colour of the meatballs remained acceptable when keeping fibre at the 1 or 5% levels. A restaurant-sized serving of the citrus meatballs, containing 2% citrus powder, contains approximately 5 g of fibre - a significant increase, considering that, traditionally, meatballs contain no fibre.

Gedikoglu has suggested that the citrus powder could be used as a replacement for breadcrumbs in meatball recipes. Based on the initial tests, Gedikoglu also thinks that adding citrus powder to some hamburger recipes would capitalise on the tangy citrus flavour.

Next, Gedikoglu intends to conduct a series of taste tests. She also will study the potential antioxidant benefits of citrus powder. Citrus fruits, particularly their peels, are rich with flavonoids, a nutrient in plants that can help prevent diseases in humans such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Gedikoglu presented her findings at the American Meat Science Association conference.