Are burgers and nuggets junk food? It is time to bust this myth. Healthy Nutrition Technology specialists of the SUSU Institute of Sport, Tourism and Service are developing a technology for healthy fast food meat products. Preservatives that are harmful to human health are replaced with natural bioactive substances.
Senior lecturer of the SUSU Department of Technology and Organization of Public Catering Zilolakhon Tosheva is getting ready to defend her dissertation for the degree of a candidate next year.
She is examining natural preservatives, such as rosemary, ginger and peppermint, for meat products. Thanks to the use of those, the shelf life of burgers and other semi-finished meat products in a regular refrigerator (not in the freezer) can be increased by three weeks.
“The use of preservatives is inevitable in semi-finished meat products,” says Zilolakhon Tosheva. “Synthetic food additives with the E code letter are usually used. They are approved for use, but this does not mean that they are safe. Some of them accumulate in the body, can cause cancer and allergic reactions. We suggest using natural antioxidants instead: rosemary, ginger and mint extracts. They are not only safe, but also beneficial for the body, contain B vitamins. In addition, they are all hypoallergenic.”
The main role of antioxidants is to extend the shelf life of the product due to antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. They do not replace spices.
The original burger recipe, developed at SUSU, involves a special mixture of spices: black pepper, cardamom, Chinese cubeb, cinnamon, red pepper and bay leaf. Spices are added in powdered form, and antioxidants in the form of an extract.
“The natural preservatives that we use help destroy or significantly suppress the activity of Helicobacter, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, as well as a number of other potentially dangerous pathogenic bacteria,” says Zilolakhon Tosheva.
The results of the study of peppermint, rosemary and ginger as natural antioxidants were published by Zilolakhon Tosheva jointly with her academic advisor and colleagues from the SUSU Department of Technology and Organization of Public Catering: Sobhi Al-Suhaimi, Abduvali Toshev, Diana Tazeddinova.
The product has attracted interest from Ural meat producers, the patenting of the product is being completed, and negotiations are underway on the possibility of introducing it into production.
Zilolakhon Tosheva’s portfolio already includes a development with a proven extension of the shelf life of products: chicken nuggets with quinoa flour breading.