Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and their Technological Advantages for the Design in Healthy Meat Product
Pages 183-187
J.F. Rey and I.E. Povea

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1927-520X.2012.01.02.09

Published: 01 September 2012

Abstract: Current trends in the formulation for new food shows that healthy or “functional” products are gradually increasing their participation in the preference of the consumers (Catalá Ramón). Nowadays, the participation of meat products in this behavior of the marketing is not growing at the same rate, because their ingredients and nutritional compounds, like saturated fats, which are rejected by consumers. But, a group of investigators from La Salle University (Universidad De La Salle, Bogotá, Colombia), have been working hard, in order to obtain healthier meat products, using Bufalo as the main raw material, because its important properties like 15 to 35% of protein, 40% more water holding capacity (CRA, in Spanish) and 30% more emulsifying capacity (CE in Spanish). Previous values are compared with raw beef. The group, who has developed a functional buffalo meat product, added vegetal oil from soybeans and dehydrated hemoglobin to its formulation and obtained a food with 70% less of saturated fat and a significantly increase of iron, without affecting the non-saturated fat compound of the food. Now, a functional product packed in a “smart packaging” has been studied, in order to increase its shelf life, supported on positive migration process.