Characterisation of a Hamburger Patties Prepared without Eggs, Breadcrumbs, and Milk

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterise a method for preparing hamburger patties that do not contain any major allergens, namely those from eggs, breadcrumbs, and milk. To this end, hen eggs were substituted by two types of grated yam called "nagaimo" and "yamatoimo". In addition, breadcrumbs including wheat flour and cow's milk were replaced with tofu and okara. When all three allergen-containing ingredients were substituted by any one non-allergenic ingredient, the cooked ground meat fell apart or became harder compared to the standard sample. In case of hamburger patties where two non-allergenic ingredients were used, the patty retained its shape after cooking. Importantly, the hardness of cooked hamburger patties could be modulated to a desired degree by controlling the moisture content of the tofu. However, the hardness of patties was difficult to regulate with okara. Sensory tests on university students suggested that samples incorporating nagaimo and tofu drained for 30 minutes tasted similar to the standard hamburger patty.