An Attempt to use Black Chokeberry Pomace in the Production of Hamburgers

The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using chokeberry pomace <i>(Aronia melanocarpa)</i> in amounts ranging from 0.5% to 7.0% in the production of minced meat products, such as pork hamburgers. The raw material composition of the hamburgers included pork ham (65%) and pork jowl (35%). In relation to the total weight of meat and fat raw materials, 1.5% of table salt and black chokeberry pomace were added to the batter in an amount of 0.5; 1.0; 2.0; 3.5; 5.0 and 7.0%. Chokeberry pomace was added to the batter in the form of shredded ‘paste’. The control product did not contain pomace. The hamburgers were formed using a hand moulder and baked in a combi-steamer oven. The analytical scope of the work included: determination of the thermal losses of products and measurement of the change in the diameter of products after baking (’shrinkage’), instrumental measurement of cutting force and color parameters (CIEL*a*b*), determination of the content of basic chemical components using the instrumental method, as well as the organoleptic evaluation of products after baking. It was found that the inclusion of black chokeberry pomace in the form of ‘paste’ in the raw material composition of pork hamburgers is possible from a technological point of view. The modifications used in the raw material composition of hamburgers had an effect on the quality of this meat product. Despite the relatively small differences between the mean values, they were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) for most of the quality attributes assessed. Based on the obtained results of physical, chemical and organoleptic quality characteristics, it was concluded that the acceptable addition level of chokeberry pomace to the batter for pork hamburgers with the raw material composition adopted in the study could be 2.0%.