Partial replacement of meat by sugar cane fibre: cooking characteristics, sensory properties of beef burgers and in vitro fermentation of sugar cane fibre

In this study, sugar cane fibre (SCF) partially replaced meat in beef burger formulations. The effects of SCF on cook yield, dimensional changes, sensory characteristics of beef burgers and in vitro gut fermentation characteristics were evaluated. Replacing beef with 1 to 5% SCF in burgers significantly increased cook yields from 13.8 +/- 0.3 to 59.1 +/- 0.3% due to its high water-binding capacity of 5.89 +/- 0.08 g g(-1) and oil-binding capacity of 4.68 +/- 0.03 g g(-1). The inclusion of SCF improved cooking properties whilst improving sensory characteristics. Burgers with 1% SCF had the highest overall acceptability. SCF was steadily fermented with a porcine faecal inoculum for up to 72 h, producing short-chain fatty acids. The characteristics of high water/oil binding and fermentability suggest that SCF has the potential to provide a range of dietary fibre benefits, and therefore deserves further study.