Effects of Substituting Added Water for Fat on the Textural, Sensory, and Processing Characteristics of Bologna¹

Effects of substituting added water (AW) for fat on textural and sensory properties of bologna ranging from 30%fat‐10%AW to 5%fat‐35%AW. Sensory springiness, firmness, and cohesiveness increased with higher protein content ( P < 0.05). Instron fracturability and hardness were affected more by AW than fat and were lower ( P < 0.05) for the high AW, low protein bolognas. Color was affected more by fat than AW; low‐fat bolognas were darkest ( P < 0.05). Uncooked batters within a fat level were less viscous ( P < 0.05) and had lower shear values as AW increased. Cooking and purge losses increased ( P < 0.05) as fat was decreased and AW increased. Substituting AW for fat was effective in preventing undesirable changes associated with low‐fat, 10% AW products. Regression analyses indicated that bologna with 10% fat would require 24.3% AW to approximate the sensory firmness of bologna with 30% fat and 10% AW.