Citrus Fiber Improves Nutritional Value in Beef

COLUMBIA, Mo.Adding citrus fiber to meatballs in small increments has been shown to increase fiber without altering the quality and taste of the meat, according to research presented at the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) conference.

Ayca Gedikoglu, a doctoral student in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and Andrew Clarke, associate professor of food science tested three batches of meatballs with varying quantities of citrus powder to determine how the additional ingredient, which is sweet and tangy, would react with the meat. The test used 1%, 5% and 10% increments of the powder.

The results showed that the citrus fiber increased the cooking yield of the meatball recipe but texture and color remained acceptable with fiber additive of 1% or 5%. A typical restaurant-sized serving of meatballs contains no fiber but adding 2% citrus fiber increases the grams of fiber to five.

A high-fiber diet has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases by as much as 22 percent and has been shown to maintain a healthy weight.