Characteristics of fermented salami made with sesame flour

"From the point of view of the worldwide protein shortages the forecast for the near future is that production year by year and consumption of vegetable proteins are on the increase (Hasegawa et. al., 1981). Among these proteins, soybean protein has become the center of attention because of its nutritional value (Young et. al., 1979) and for its superb functionalities in food processing (Kinsella, 1979). Soybean protein has an excellent amino acid composition except for a deficiency of methionine, which is the first limiting amino acid of the protein. The growing industry based on the functional properties of soya protein has stimulated interest in the functional potential of other major oilseeds (Dench et. al., 1981). Attention has been focused on cottonseed, peanut, rapeseed and sunflower seed and, in some instances, commercial preparations are already available. In contrast, the functionality of sesame protein has received little attention. The few studies reported are limited to the properties of defatted flour or meal and there are no reports on the functional properties of protein concentrates or isolates (Dench et. al., 1981). Lawhon et. al. (1972) reported the protein extractability and whipping potential of sesame flour extracts to be low in comparison with other oilseeds. When used as a partial replacement for wheat flour, however, sesame flour performed well in breadmaking (Glabe et. al., 1957; Rooney et. al., 1972). Unlike many oilseeds, defatted flour and isolates prepared from sesame seed do not contain any undesirable pigments or off-flavors. Furthermore, though poor in lysine, sesame protein is rich in methionine which is often the limiting amino acid in legume-based, tropical diets. The major limitation to sesame utilization is the need for dehulling to reduce the oxalic acid content together with high residual levels of phytic acid (Toma et. al., 1979). A number of studies have been reported concerning uses of sesame flour in fortifying traditional foods (Pomeranz et. al., 1969; Bressani et. al., 1963; Attschul, 1969; Rooney et. al., 1972) and in formulating high protein beverages (Tasker et. al., 1966; Parpia, 1966; Jaffe and Chavez, 1971). However, other than sesame oilseeds, cereals, tubers and salts have been used to minimize cooking losses of meat products. These functional comminuted meat product ingredients, today known as binders and fillers, have traditionally been locally available. They include potatoes, cereals, milk derivatives, hydrocolloids and vegetable proteins. It is estimated that 17,000 tons of various soy proteins were used in 1977 in Europe alone in heat treated and fermented meat products. Thus, plant protein additives can replace some of the meat in formulations and still bind water and maintain fat stability during the smoking and cooking cycle (Smith et. al., 1973). However, results have not been published of research in which sesame flour was tested in fermented salami. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate some chemical, physical and sensory properties of fermented salami made with three levels of defatted sesame flour."--Introduction.