Effects of soybean dietary fiber on the techno-functional properties of emulsified sausages: An underlying mechanism

This study comprehensively assessed the effects of soybean dietary fiber (soyDF) as a healthier fat alternative in emulsified sausages, aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that influence the techno-functional properties. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of soyDF significantly enhanced the water retention capacity of emulsified sausages, as evidenced by decreased cooking loss (CL) and water fluidity, along with increased water holding capacity (WHC) and total water binding capacity (TWBC) ( p < 0.05). The improvement of textural characteristics (especially soyDF2 and soyDF4 formulations) was attributed to the increased apparent viscosity and viscoelasticity, the formation of a denser protein gel structure with embedded sheet-like soyDF fragments, the exposure of hydrophobic groups, and the structural transformations involving α -helix uncoiling and β -sheet formation. Although soyDF addition resulted in a significant increase in b* value ( p < 0.05), sausages with the soyDF formulation received a higher overall acceptability score in sensory evaluation. Therefore, soyDF effectively enhanced the functional quality of emulsified sausages through multiple mechanisms, establishing its potential as a viable fat alternative for developing next-generation functional meat products that cater to evolving dietary preferences. • SDF addition improves the water retention capacity of emulsified sausages. • The filling of sheet-like SDF fragments results in a denser microstructure formation. • SDF enhances the rheological and texture characteristics of emulsified sausages. • SDF can be employed in developing functional meat products with health benefits.