Nutritional properties of frankfurters with added chlorophyll-deficient Chlorella vulgaris mutants

Abstract

Microalgae have been proven to be a promising functional and sustainable ingredient in different food matrices, including some meat products [1,2,3,4,5,6]. However, the coloring of meat products containing microalgae Spirulina maxima and Chlorella vulgaris in a dark green could lead to consumers` rejection of these products. To overcome the color barrier, we used white and yellow chlorophyll-deficient C. vulgaris mutants, commercially available (Honey Chlorella), in designing acceptable products. The study aimed to analyze the nutritional composition (chemical, fatty, amino acid, and mineral composition) of pork frankfurters enriched with 3% of yellow and white C. vulgaris. The inclusion of these microalgae resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) increase in protein (0.8- 0.85%) and ash, while moisture and fat content decreased. Following current Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 and the amended Commission Regulation (EU) No 1047/2012, the ˝high protein˝ content claims can be assumed for microalgae enriched frankfurters. Carbohydrates increased with microalgae addition due to the increase in fibers. The sum of total essential amino acids and essential/nonessential amino acid ratio was higher (P < 0.05) in groups containing microalgae. In addition, white C. vulgaris samples had better Lys:Arg ratio compared to the control and honey C. vulgaris groups. Frankfurters with microalgae had significantly more (P < 0.05) n-3 PUFAs, mainly alfa-linolenic, gamma-linolenic, and eicosatrienoic acid, along with significantly lower amounts (P < 0.05) of SFAs, mainly palmitic and stearic acid. C. vulgaris mutants resulted in increased total PUFA, lower PUFA/SFA ratio, n−6/n−3 ratios, lower atherogenic index (AI), and thrombogenicity index (IT) compared to reference frankfurters. C. vulgaris inclusion in formulations increased (P < 0.05) Na, K, Ca, P and Zn, but lowered Mn compared to control frankfurters. In addition, frankfurters fortified with white C. vulgaris resulted in higher iron content and lower copper content compared to the control. Moreover, microalgae enrichment lowered the Na/K ratio by 34.74% and 16.42%, respectively, resulting in a significantly better ratio closer to the recommended one. Using microalgae to create innovative meat products can bring potential health benefits to consumers due to the enhanced nutritional profile of these products.