The Replacement Effect of Sucrose with Functional Sugars on Physicochemical Properties of Ground Pork Sausages

The practical use of functional sugars in the food industry has received great attention in reducing calories by replacing sugar and improving technological properties in processed foods. This study evaluated the effects of replacing sucrose with functional sugars (allulose, kestose, and resistant maltodextrin) on the physicochemical properties of ground pork sausages. Pork sausages were prepared by replacing 2% (w/w) sucrose with an equivalent amount of allulose, kestose, or resistant maltodextrin. The uncooked meat batter and cooked sausages were analyzed for pH, instrumental color, viscosity, cooking loss, and textural properties. Replacing sucrose with functional sugars could significantly improve water-holding capacity, as determined by reduced cooking loss, with kestose treatment showing the lowest cooking loss. No significant differences between cooked sausage samples were observed in color characteristics (lightness, redness, yellowness, chroma, and hue angle). However, the replacement significantly reduced the apparent viscosity and textural parameters (except for cohesiveness), particularly in sausages formulated with kestose and resistant maltodextrin. These changes were likely due to the hydration properties of functional sugars and their interactions with muscle proteins. Therefore, this study indicates that functional sugars can offer an effective alternative to sucrose in improving water-holding capacity. Further studies would be warranted to explore sensory attributes and the formulations to guarantee balanced textural properties and desirable consumer acceptance.