EFFECT OF FUNCTIONAL FLOURS ON OXIDATIVE STABILITY AND NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF BREADED MEAT PRODUCTS

The incorporation of functional ingredients in meat products can improve nutritional composition and influence the technological stability of foods. This study evaluated the effect of adding flaxseed flour (F1), oat bran (F2), and chia flour (F3) on the proximate composition and oxidative stability of breaded beef products. The formulations were prepared using 20% ​​functional flour in the breading stage, associated with the use of chia mucilage as a natural binding agent. The proximate composition, total fiber, pH, water activity, and lipid oxidation through TBARS analyses were performed during refrigerated storage at an average temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The formulations showed a high total fiber content, with values ​​exceeding 13% in all treatments. F1 and F3 formulations presented the highest fiber contents, with 14.61% and 14.76%, respectively. The formulation containing oat bran showed the lowest lipid content (4.70%), while the formulations with flaxseed and chia showed higher lipid concentrations. pH values ​​remained stable during storage, ranging from 5.9 to 6.7, while water activity remained high in all formulations (0.94–0.95). Lipid oxidation showed a gradual increase throughout storage, with higher TBARS values ​​in the formulations containing chia and flaxseed. After 720 hours, formulation F3 showed a value of 0.0072 mg MDA/kg, while formulation F2 showed lower lipid oxidation (0.0017 mg MDA/kg). The results demonstrate that different functional flours can be strategically employed in the development of breaded meat products. Chia and flaxseed flours proved to be the most suitable for fiber enrichment, whereas oat bran exhibited lower lipid content and lower lipid oxidation values ​​during the experimental period. Thus, the selection of the functional ingredient can be tailored to the nutritional and technological objectives of each formulation.