Effects of tahini use as an animal fat alternative in meatball production

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of using tahini as an alternative to animal fat in meatball production. In the study, five experimental groups were created by adding different proportions of tahini and animal fat to meatballs prepared from beef: 100% animal fat (control), 75% animal fat + 25% tahini, 50% animal fat + 50% tahini, 25% animal fat + 75% tahini, and 100% tahini. The chemical, physical, textural, sensory, and fatty acid profile characteristics of the meatballs were examined through comprehensive analyses. The analyses included moisture, protein, fat, and ash content; pH; fatty acid profile; cooking loss; cooking yield; color analysis; texture profile analysis (TPA); and sensory evaluations. According to the findings, increasing the tahini ratio created statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) in the moisture, fat, protein, and ash contents of the meatballs. Furthermore, with the addition of tahini, the amounts of saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acids) decreased, while the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids (especially linoleic acid) increased significantly (P < 0.01). The use of tahini in increasing proportions improved the cooking yield of the meatballs (P < 0.01), reduced cooking loss (P < 0.01), and decreased the hardness and chewability values of the TPA parameters (P < 0.01). According to sensory analysis results, the addition of tahini did not affect the overall acceptance of the meatballs, but the appearance (7.39) and taste (6.61) scores were statistically lower in the group containing 100% tahini (P < 0.01). In conclusion, tahini can be considered a healthy, functional, and innovative fat substitute in meatball production; this use can contribute to the development of products with increased nutritional value and sustainability in the food industry.