Many American diets fall short of meeting nutritional guidelines, resulting in burgeoning obesity rates and health problems across the nation. Statistics show that most Americans consume only half of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber. Now, a research team at the University of Missouri has used citrus fiber in ground beef to address the fiber deficit, while retaining the quality and taste of the meat.
Ayca Gedikoglu, a doctoral student studying food science in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Andrew Clarke, associate professor of food science, completed the first test on a citrus meatball recipe in the fall of 2013. The test consisted of three batches of meatballs, with varying percentages of the meat substituted with citrus powder, to see how much of the sweet and tangy powder could be added without adversely affecting the meatballs’ texture and cooking characteristics. The test used 1 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent increments.