Here are 5 ways for you to improve the appeal of your meatballs and optimize your formulation.
Meatballs are eaten in many different formats and on various occasions all over the world. They are consumed hot, cold, in a sauce, in a soup, in a sandwich, as a main dish, as a snack, etc. The versatility is enormous. In supermarkets you can buy them in fresh, pre-cooked, fried, chilled or frozen condition. No matter what line of products you supply into, here are 5 ways to help you improve your meatball formulation. Focus will be on creating a cleaner and more appealing option while reducing cost.
The 5 improvement points presented here uses ScanPro™ 1015 – a powdered functional pork protein ideal for meat replacement in e.g. meatballs. Read more about using ScanPro™ 1015 as a natural meat replacer.
1. Reduced formulation cost
ScanPro™ 1015 is a cost-effective choice for any meatball recipe. Substituting a part of the production meat with ScanPro™ 1015 in hydration will help reduce formulation cost without compromising on the quality of the finished meatballs. On the contrary, reformulation of the meat composition with ScanPro™ 1015 will in fact improve the succulent texture and bite – read more under improvement point 2.
When using ScanPro™ 1015 and water in a ratio of 1:4 to replace 5 % of the meat, formulation cost will decrease significantly. In a price index comparison where 1 kilogram of meat costs 100 %, the equivalent amount of ScanPro™ 1015/F in ratio 1:4 costs 54 % (index based on average meat prices in Europe).
If you want to understand what savings you can expect using specific prices and volumes related to your business, please do not hesitate to contact our protein specialists.
2. The texture and bite consumers desire
ScanPro™ 1015 comes in different versions designed for different applications. They vary in particle size and for that reason hold different water-binding capacities, where the finer powders can bind 1:8 parts of water, the courser versions 1:4.
When ScanPro™ 1015 mixes with water under heating, the collagen unfolds. When cooled down, the collagen refolds into its’ three-dimensional structure which allows the collagen to bind water. When added to your meatballs, this specific ability adds to the texture and the elasticity. The texture improvement related to reformulation of the meat composition with ScanPro™ 1015 is an important feature that provides a pleasant eating experience for consumers. Essentia’s application experts can help you find the combination that provides the exact bite you are looking for.
3. Tasty and juicy
As ScanPro™ 1015 consists of dehydrated pork rind that has undergone a thermal treatment, it has a nice roasted pork flavor that fits perfectly into most meatball recipes. Replacing a part of the meat with ScanPro™ 1015 in hydration does not mean that the taste of your meatballs become dull – on the contrary, it boosts the flavor of your meatballs in a way that makes them stand out.
The functional attributes of ScanPro™ 1015 help the meat absorb the liquid and keep the moisture inside the product. As a result, ScanPro™ 1015 improves the succulent texture and provides a juicier mouthfeel.
4. Improved appeal and consistent shape
When leaning over the meat counter, we know that consumers are very selective when picking out the products they are about to bring home to the dining table. Selection criteria at this critical moment include size, shape, color, labelling, etc.
When stored, fresh minced or ground meat will typically liberate meat juice. When adding ScanPro™ 1015, the meat will stabilize and absorb the liquid. With the juice kept inside the fresh product, it appears much more appealing in the meat counter.
As mentioned, the water-binding effect of ScanPro™ 1015 stabilizes the meat structure and increases the cohesiveness of the meatball ingredients. This feature contributes to keeping the meatballs into shape and provides a more consistent look.
The overall advantage is that the meatballs look highly appealing and that they are likely to be picked over other less appealing meatballs.
5. Clean label ingredient
ScanPro™ 1015 is a range of functional pork proteins made from 100 % pork skin. Most of the protein is collagen. The porcine protein is concentrated through thermal and mechanical treatment. Nothing is added and consequently it is a clean label ingredient of 100 % natural origin. It is non-GMO and contains no known allergens and no artificial additives of any kind. This makes ScanPro™ 1015 an ingredient in perfect tune with consumer preferences.
Understand meat replacement with ScanPro™ 1015 in minced/ground meat
ScanPro™ 1015 is of 100 % natural origin. It is made from defatted, dehydrated pork skin and in hydration it presents similar analytical values in terms of protein, collagen and moisture content as those of pork meat.
It is the ideal meat replacer for meatballs as it reduces the cost price, while maintaining volume and improving juiciness and mouthfeel.
When replacing 5-10 % of the meat with ScanPro™ 1015 in ratio 1:4 the analytical values are in fact the same as 100 % meat. Essentially, meat replacement with ScanPro™ 1015 could be interpreted as adding meat into meat.
As regards the fat content, ScanPro™ 1015 offers a much lower content in comparison to most pork meat cuts. ScanPro™ 1015 and water in ratio 1:4 contain 2.60 % of fat, whereas a cut of pork shoulder easily contains 27 % of fat. Considering that consumers prefer meat products with less fat, ScanPro™ 1015 can be the means to offer low in fat meatballs, while reducing cost.
