Defatted black soldier fly larvae flour as a novel protein ingredient for partial replacement of beef in hot dog sausages

Abstract With the global population continuously increasing, there is an urgent need to reassess dietary patterns and identify more sustainable protein sources. Edible insects represent a highly effective alternative, delivering superior nutrition and reduced environmental impact compared to traditional options. This study aimed to develop, characterize, and evaluate hot dog sausages in which ground beef (GB) was partially replaced with defatted black soldier fly flour (DBSFF). The wholemeal was defatted through supercritical extraction with carbon dioxide (sc-CO 2 ) and incorporated into three isoproteic formulations: a control (60% GB), T5 (57% GB + 1.45% DBSFF), and T10 (54% GB + 2.89% DBSFF). The products underwent proximate composition analysis, cooking yield, texture profile, sensory evaluation, and measurements of physicochemical stability (pH, instrumental colour, and lipid oxidation) at the beginning ( t = day 0) and the end ( t = day 45) of refrigerated storage. Incorporating DBSFF did not significantly affect the nutritional composition or cooking yield ( ), supporting its viability as a protein ingredient in hybrid meat products. However, adding DBSFF resulted in a significant increase in pH, changes in colour, lipid oxidation, and texture attributes ( ). Sensory evaluation indicated that the T5 formulation achieved similar acceptance to the control in several sensory attributes, suggesting a satisfactory outcome due to the favourable consumer acceptance at this substitution level. Nonetheless, higher inclusion of DBSFF rates than those evaluated in this study may negatively impact both technological properties and consumer perceptions of hybrid hot dog sausages.