Use of food industry wastes in meatball production

In this thesis study, the utilization of two optimized flour mixtures derived from surplus legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas, and green beans) in meatball production was examined. The mixture containing bean, chickpea, and green bean flour (A) exhibited a water retention capacity of 2.20 ml water per 5 g of flour, while the mixture containing bean, chickpea, and pea flour (B) showed a capacity of 2.63 ml water per 5 g of flour. These two mixtures were added to the meatball recipe at rates of 2%, 4%, and 6%, and the product characteristics were investigated. The addition of flour did not show a significant effect on the moisture, ash, and fat values of the raw samples (P >0.05), although it did alter the color values. The water activity values of the raw samples did not exhibit significant changes with the addition of flour (P >0.05). The addition of both flour mixtures at increasing levels resulted in a significant increase in the TBA (Thiobarbituric Acid) values. Notably, it was found that almost all flour-added samples had higher TBA values than the control sample (P <0.05). According to the research findings, the addition of flour generally created variations in the color values of the cooked samples, with this difference becoming more pronounced as storage time progressed. The protein contents of the cooked samples were determined to be between 21.67% and 22.41%, with the addition of flour not significantly affecting the protein content of the cooked samples (P >0.05). Sensory analysis results indicated that all flour-added samples received higher scores compared to the control sample.