https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.63.04.25.9071

Article in press

Exploring Chia Mucilage as a Potential Additive for Salt Reduction in Traditional Balkan Minced Meat Product “Ćevap”

Sanja Đurđević^1*, Igor Tomašević^1,2 Steva Lević³, Nikola Stanišić⁴, Vladimir Kurćubić⁵ and Slaviša Stajić¹

¹Department of Animal Source Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia

²German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL), 49610 Ouackenbruck, Germany

³Department of Food Technology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia

⁴Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade-Zemun, Autoput Beograd-Zagreb 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

⁵Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Kragujevac, Cara Dušana 34, 32102 Čačak, Serbia

Copyright © 2024 This is a Diamond Open Access article published under CC-BY licence. Copyright remains with the authors, who grant third parties the unrestricted right to use, copy, distribute and reproduce the article as long as the original author(s) and source are acknowledged.

Article history:

Received: 10 February 2025

Accepted: 30 July 2025

Keywords:

meat product; minced meat; chia mucilage; salt reduction

Summary:

Research background. The food industry is constantly searching for solutions to reduce the sodium content in meat products as the world is facing an increased risk of diseases caused by a greater intake of sodium from salt through processed foods, including minced meat products.

Experimental approach. The aim of this work was to determine potential use of chia mucilage in different concentration (2 and 4 %) in traditional products with reduced salt content (15 and 30 %) and to evaluate its impact on technological properties, color, texture, and sensory parameters of minced meat product “Ćevap”. Given its water-binding and gelling properties, chia mucilage may exert a similar functional effect as salt in minced meat products, particularly in improving water retention and texture.

Results and conclusions. Findings showed that replacement of sodium chloride with chia mucilage did not have a significant effect on some technological properties, such as pH and cooking loss, but textural parameters were affected, producing softer and stickier product in general. A treatment with 15 % sodium chloride reduction and 2 % chia mucilage addition was preferred as for appearance, juiciness, and overall acceptability, while higher chia mucilage concentrations led to lower scores in taste and saltines perception as shown in sensory analysis.

Novelty and scientific contribution. As a conclusion it was established that chia mucilage can help reduce the salt content with the careful reformulation, so it does not change the sensory qualities.