Functionality of Upcycled Carrot Pomace as a Nutritional and Sustainable Additive in the Development of Beef Patties

Upcycling fruit- and vegetable-processing byproducts can reduce food waste while creating functional ingredients. This study compared wet carrot pomace (WCP) with freeze-dried carrot pomace (FDCP) in beef patties formulated at two lean/fat ratios. Five treatments were prepared: an 80% lean/20% fat control (80/20 C); a 90% lean/10% fat control (90/10 C); an 80% lean/20% fat patty with 3.00% w/w FDCP (FDCP); an 80% lean/20% fat patty with 16.09% w/w WCP (regular-fat wet carrot pomace, RFWCP); and a 90% lean/10% fat patty with 16.09% w/w WCP (low-fat wet carrot pomace, LFWCP). The WCP level was selected to deliver the same carrot pomace dry matter as 3.00% w/w FDCP. Patties were analyzed for proximate composition, surface color, texture profile analysis (TPA), sensory analysis, and cook yield after cooking to an internal temperature of 73 °C (165 °F), with increased moisture content in both raw and cooked patties relative to the corresponding fat-level control, whereas FDCP produced moisture values comparable to 80/20 C. During sensory analysis, beef consumers evaluated the five formulations in two sessions two weeks apart: the patty alone (n = 122) and in a bun (n = 100). Attitudinal and measured liking clustering was used to further separate participants’ scores. Cook yield was higher for the WCP treatments (73.2–77.3%) than for the 100% beef controls (68.9–71.2%), while FDCP yields were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from the controls. Fat content followed the intended lean/fat ratio of either 90/10 or 80/20 and was not retained more effectively by either pomace form. WCP produced the largest total color difference (ΔE ≈ 11), driven by lower L* and b* values, while FDCP produced a smaller difference (ΔE ≈ 5.9). TPA showed that pomace patties were softer and less cohesive, with FDCP giving the greatest reductions in hardness and gumminess, indicating a crumblier matrix. In the consumer study, the 80/20 C was most liked and LFWCP least liked, and penalty analysis identified insufficient beef flavor as the primary driver of decreased liking for the pomace-containing patties in both formats, with the largest total penalty for LFWCP (1.10). There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) for serving formats; the patty with a bun increased perceived firmness, texture and sweetness for the 80/20 C while decreasing beef flavor, juiciness and aftertaste for RFWCP. Attitudinal clustering did not predict which formulation a participant preferred, whereas clustering on measured liking identified a consumer group that preferred the pomace formulations over both controls. WCP offers a viable means of diverting carrot-processing waste streams and promoting functional upcycling in food product development.