Quality of Sausages Containing 'Okara' Soybean Curd Residue

Abstract

　Okara is a byproduct of soy milk production. In order to utilize okara and to develop meat products containing dietary fiber, we prepared sausages containing 5, 10, 15, and 20% of okara by substituting cured lean meat with okara (water content, 76%) and compared their quality. Moisture and dietary fiber content, pH, and L^＊ and b^＊ values were increased, while content of protein and lipid and a^＊ value were decreased, in line with an increase in the okara content of the sausage. Addition of 5% okara to sausage sufficiently improved the yield. However, the addition of excessive okara disturbed the gel network structure of the meat protein, and the texture (hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness) was significantly impaired in sausages containing ≥15% okara. Sensory evaluation of sausages containing 5% or 10% okara was comparable with that of sausages without okara. Our findings show that the addition of okara can supplement sausages with dietary fiber and improve their water holding capacity and that an okara content of 10% is appropriate for making good quality sausages.