Elsevier

Food Chemistry

Volume 123, Issue 4, 15 December 2010, Pages 959-967
Food Chemistry

Review
Design and development of meat-based functional foods with walnut: Technological, nutritional and health impact

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.05.104Get rights and content

Abstract

With growing understanding of the relationship between diet and health has come the emergence of so-called functional foods. The idea of using food for health purposes and not merely as a source of nutrients opens up a whole new field in the meat industry. In addition to traditional presentations, there a number of ways in which the meat sector can modify the qualitative and quantitative composition of meat and meat product components and produce designer foods with specific properties. This entails addressing quality factors associated with different product properties (sensory and technological properties, hygiene, convenience, stability, etc.), nutritional value (balanced composition and bioactive substances) and their effects on physiological function and health. This article reviews a comprehensive model for the development of meat-based functional foods based on a presentation of the research achieved in terms of the design and development of qualitatively and quantitatively modified meat products (through reformulation) in nutrients associated with cardiovascular risk (walnut as a source of bioactive substances). It also discusses their bioavailability and the effect of their consumption on intermediate cardiovascular risk markers in humans.

Introduction

Growing understanding of the relationship between diet and health is leading to new insights into the effect of food ingredients on physiological function and health, inducing increased consumer demand for healthy, nutritious foods with additional health promoting functions, such as functional foods.

Over the last several decades, meat products have come under increasing scrutiny by medical, nutritional and consumer groups because of the associations established between their consumption (or that of a number of their constituents—fat, cholesterol, etc.) and the risk of some of the major degenerative and chronic diseases (ischaemic heart disease, cancer, hypertension and obesity). Therefore, meat-based functional foods are being seen as an opportunity to improve the “image” of meat and address consumer needs, and also to update the nutritional and dietary goals (Jiménez-Colmenero, 2007a).

Most research into meat-based functional foods has been founded on animal production or technological strategies to increase the presence of healthy compounds (Arihara, 2006, Jiménez-Colmenero, 2007b, Jiménez-Colmenero et al., 2001, Muguerza et al., 2004). This article reports a comprehensive approach to the design and development of reformulated meat-based functional foods in which animal fat is reduced and bioactive compounds (walnut) are added in appropriate amounts to achieve a functional effect. This functional effect was assessed by means of an intervention study with volunteers presenting increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Section snippets

Dietary intake and cardiovascular diseases (CVD)

Diet and nutrition are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of health throughout life. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), several dietary patterns along with lifestyle habits constitute major modifiable risk factors in relation to the development of non-communicable diseases, coronary heart disease (CHD), cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and periodontal disease (WHO, 2003). In addition to providing

Functional foods

Observations associating particular eating habits, mainly excessive intake of certain nutrients, with the aetiology and development of chronic diseases have led to the concept of “optimal nutrition”. Optimal nutrition is based on a number of dietary recommendations to modify (reduce or increase) the intake of certain foods or food components and the development of new foods in which the original composition is modified, in terms of both nutrient and non-nutrient contents. The ultimate aim is to

Walnut and cardiovascular disease: bioactive components

Epidemiological studies show that regular consumption of nuts in general, and walnut in particular (Banel and Hu, 2009, Feldman, 2002, Fitó et al., 2007, Fraser et al., 1992, Iwamoto et al., 2000, Nus et al., 2004, Sabaté, 1993, Sabaté et al., 1993, Salas-Salvadó, García-Arellano et al., 2008, Salas-Salvadó, Fernández-Ballart et al., 2008, Tyrovolas and Panagiotakos, 2009) correlates inversely with myocardial infarction and CHD regardless of other factors associated with risk such as age, sex,

Meat products as functional foods

Meat and meat products are essential parts of the diet which concentrate and supply a large number of nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins, minerals). Meat is a fundamental source of proteins of high biological value. It is a well-balanced source of amino acids that satisfies human physiological requirements. Meat is a good source of iron, zinc and phosphorus, with significant amounts of other essential trace elements such as selenium, magnesium and cobalt, and an excellent source of B group

Design of meat-based functional foods with walnuts

Within this context and considering the present state of and trends in meat consumption, our team has embarked on the design and development of walnut-enriched functional meat-based products with potential for CHD risk reduction. Within a multidisciplinary project, we address the development of a functional meat product of this type using reformulation technology. Specifically, our aim is to design and develop meat products qualitatively and quantitatively modified in such a way as to achieve a

Technological development of meat products with added walnut

One fundamental aspect of this research is the technological development of meat products formulated with walnut, which must achieve comparable quality levels (sensory, nutritional, technological, health, convenience, etc.) to those of any other meat product of similar characteristics. This also includes other aspects (social, legal, etc.) unrelated to the intrinsic quality of the product which affect their valuation and degree of acceptance. In accordance with the design, the manufacturing

Nutritional profile of meat products with added walnut

The potential functional effect of walnut in meat-based functional foods derives from various constituents with health implications. Studies have been conducted both on restructured steaks (Serrano et al., 2005) and on frankfurters (Ayo et al., 2007) to determine how the walnut affects the nutritional profile. Compared with control products (0% added walnut), the product with added walnut (20–25%) presented a lower lysine/arginine ratio, larger quantities of MUFAs and ω-3 PUFAs (mainly

Assessing the effect of meat-based functional products on cardiovascular disease risk

A 5-week randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted on subjects at risk of CVD (n = 25) to assess the functional effect of consumption of restructured steaks and frankfurters containing 20% walnut. For 5 weeks, instead of meat and meat derivates the volunteers consumed five meat products (four steaks and one sausage, with or without added walnut) per week (150 g meat product/helping). The habitual consumption of a mixed diet (no avoidance of any groups) was required. In terms of

Concluding remarks

In functional foods, if in addition to achieving quality attributes comparable to those of any other product we wish to assure the presence, absence or reduction of a nutrient or other substance that we know to produce a potential beneficial effect—which has to be established with generally accepted scientific data—then design and development are essential steps.

The design and development of potentially functional meat products based on the addition of walnut has been addressed as part of a

Acknowledgements

This research was supported under projects AGL2001-2398-C03 and Consolider-Ingenio 2010. CARNISENUSA CSD2007-00016. Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica (I+D+I), Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología. Spain. Thanks are due to “La Morella Nuts, S.A.” and Bernardo Josa Quilez for supplying the walnuts.

References (79)

  • F. Jiménez-Colmenero

    Healthier lipid formulation approaches in meat based functional foods. Technological options for replacement of meat fats by non-meat fats

    Trends in Food Science and Technology

    (2007)
  • F. Jiménez-Colmenero et al.

    Healthier meat and meat products: Their role as functional foods

    Meat Science

    (2001)
  • F. Jiménez-Colmenero et al.

    Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of restructured beef steak with added walnuts

    Meat Science

    (2003)
  • J. Librelotto et al.

    Changes in fatty acids and polar material of restructured low-fat or walnut-added steaks pan-fried in olive oil

    Meat Science

    (2008)
  • E. Muguerza et al.

    New formulations for healthier dry fermented sausages: A review

    Trends in Food Science and Technology

    (2004)
  • M. Nus et al.

    Arylesterase activity and antioxidant status depend on PON1–Q192R and PON1–L55M polymorphisms in subjects with increased risk of cardiovascular disease consuming walnut-enriched meat

    Journal of Nutrition

    (2007)
  • M. Nus et al.

    A new method for the determination of arylesterase activity in human serum using simulated body fluid

    Atherosclerosis

    (2006)
  • C. Ruiz-Capillas et al.

    Biogenic amines in restructured beef steaks as affected by added walnuts and chilling storage

    Journal of Food Protection

    (2004)
  • A. Serrano et al.

    Transglutaminase as binding agent in fresh restructured beef steak with added walnuts

    Food Chemistry

    (2004)
  • A. Serrano et al.

    Characteristics of restructured beef steak with different proportions of walnut during frozen storage

    Meat Science

    (2006)
  • A. Serrano et al.

    Nutritional profile of restructured beef steak with added walnuts

    Meat Science

    (2005)
  • A. Serrano et al.

    Composition and physicochemical characteristics of restructured beef steaks containing walnuts as affected by cooking method

    Meat Science

    (2007)
  • S. Adkins et al.

    Molecular basis for the polymorphic forms of human serum paraoxonase/arylesterase: Glutamine or arginine at position 191, for the respective A or B allozymes

    The American Journal of Human Genetics

    (1993)
  • P.J. Aggett et al.

    PASSCLAIM. Process for the assessment of scientific support for claims on foods. Consensus on criteria

    European Journal of Nutrition

    (2005)
  • Asp, N. G., Cummings, J. H., Howlett, J., Rafter, J., Riccardi, G., & Westenhoefer, J. (Guest Ed.) (2004). Process for...
  • M. Aviram et al.

    Human serum paraoxonase (PON-1) Q and R selectively decrease lipid peroxides in human coronary and carotid arteriosclerotic lesions

    Circulation

    (2000)
  • Ayo, J., Jiménez Colmenero, F., Carballo, J., & Ruiz-Capillas, C. (2004). Physicochemical properties of meat batters...
  • Ayo, J., Solas, M. T., Carballo, J., & Jiménez-Colmenero, F. (2004). Microestructura de emulsiones cárnicas: Efecto de...
  • D. Bagchi et al.

    Oxygen free radical scavenging abilities of vitamin C and E, and a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract in vitro

    Research Communications in Molecular Pathology and Pharmacology

    (1997)
  • L. Bravo

    Polyphenols: Chemistry, dietary sources, metabolism, and nutritional significance

    Nutrition Review

    (1998)
  • A. Canales et al.

    Platelet aggregation, eicosanoid production and thrombogenic ratio in individuals at high cardiovascular risk consuming meat enriched in walnut paste. A crossover, placebo-controlled study

    British Journal of Nutrition

    (2009)
  • A. Canales et al.

    Effect of walnut-enriched restructured meat in the antioxidant status of overweight/obese senior subjects with at least one extra CHD-risk factor

    Journal of the American College of Nutrition

    (2007)
  • Canales, A., Benedí, J., Bastida, S., Corella, D., Guillén, M., Librelottto, J., et al. (in press). ApoA4 polymorphism...
  • Carballo, J., Ayo, J., & Jiménez Colmenero, F. (2003). Efecto de la incorporación de nuez en las propiedades...
  • J.K. Chan et al.

    Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid and its ratio to linoleic acid on platelet and plasma fatty acids and thrombogenesis

    Lipids

    (1993)
  • Cofrades, S., Serrano, A., Ayo, J., Carballo, J., Ruiz-Capillas, C., & Jiménez-Colmenero, F. (2004b). Effect of walnut,...
  • S. Cofrades et al.

    Restructured beef with different proportions of walnut as affected by meat particle size

    European Food Research Technology

    (2004)
  • L. Contor et al.

    Process for the assessment of scientific support for claims on foods. Phase two: Moving forward

    European Journal of Nutrition

    (2005)
  • A.T. Diplock et al.

    Scientific concepts of functional foods in Europe: Consensus document

    British Journal of Nutrition

    (1999)

    • Cited by (0)

    1

    Josune Ayo, José Carballo, Susana Cofrades, Claudia Ruiz-Capillas, Asunción Serrano. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de Carne y Productos Cárnicos y del Pescado y Productos de la Pesca, Instituto del Frío-ICTAN (CSIC), C/José Antonio Novais, 10, 28040-Madrid, Spain.

    Sara Bastida, Juana Benedi, Amaia Canales, Josana Librelotto, Meritxell Nus. Departamento de Nutrición y Bromatología I (Nutrición), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040-Madrid, Spain.

    Immaculada Blanco Navarro, Silvia Blázquez-García, Fernando Granado-Lorencio, Carmen Herrero-Barbudo. Unidad de Vitaminas, Servicio de Nutrición. Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, San Martin de Porres 4. 28035-Madrid, Spain.

    View full text
    Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.