Oil Emulsion
Making Emulsion
1. Using a food processor start cutting cold water with soy protein isolate until a shiny paste is obtained. This takes about one minute.
2. Add chilled oil and cut at high speed until a stable emulsion is obtained. It should take about 2 minutes.
3. Place the emulsion in a shallow container and store in a refrigerator. It can be stored for up to 5 days.
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Oil emulsion. |
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Oil emulsion sticks to the spoon. |
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Oil emulsion after being heated for 10 min at 176 F. |
Reduced-Fat Sausages
Replacing animal fat with vegetable oil delivers good results, eliminates much cholesterol and lowers calories. It is not easy to manually mix oil with meat, and some extra water. It often results in poor binding and the texture may crumble. Using pre-mixed oil emulsion provides the best texture and is strongly recommended. Such an emulsion is easily made from soy protein isolate, vegetable oil and water. It has a consistency of a soft cream cheese, it is a white gel that looks and tastes like fat. Oil emulsion is easy and fast to make and can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Oil emulsion. |
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| Sausage, 100 g (3.5 oz) serving | ||
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| Type and the amount of fat added | Meat | Total calories |
| Animal fat - 30% (30 g), 270 cal | lean pork, 70 g, 98 cal | 368 cal |
| Oil - 4% (4 g), 36 cal | lean pork, 70 g, 98 cal | 134 cal |
| Oil emulsion, 10% (10 g), 40 cal | lean pork, 70 g, 98 cal | 138 cal |
| Oil emulsion is the mixture of soy protein isolate, oil and water. | ||
Replacing Fat with Protein/Oil/Water Emulsion
Preparing protein/fat/water emulsion is practiced by commercial producers. Such emulsion is kept in a cooler until needed. It is a very practical solution for making reduced fat sausages. Think of it as a fat replacer solution that offers many advantages:
- It can be prepared in advance.
- Making emulsion is a clean and simple process.
- Its calorie content is well defined.
- It does not provide any cholesterol.
- It preserves the original texture and mouthfeel of the sausage.
Oil emulsion is easy to administer and its calorie content is precisely defined. A 100 g chunk of emulsion provides 398 calories. One hundred grams of fat provides 900 calories.
soy protein isolate/oil/water emulsion 1:4:5 |
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| 100 g | 200 g | 300 g | |
| SPI (92% protein) | 10 g | 20 g | 30 g |
| Vegetable Oil | 40 g | 80 g | 120 g |
| Water | 50 g | 100 g | 150 g |
| Calories | 398 cal | 796 cal | 1194 cal |
As all recipes are calculated for 1000 g material (100%), and it is extremely easy to calculate the amount of emulsion. Ten percent emulsion is 100 g, twenty percent is 200 g and so on. Let's assume that a recipe calls for 70% lean meat and 20% fat, the rest being water and other ingredients. Use 700 g of lean meat and 200 g emulsion, that simple. You don't need add more water, as 1/2 of the emulsion is the water. All 200 g of fat is replaced with 200 g emulsion. No animal fat was used and 80 g of oil was introduced. The original animal fat supplied 1800 calories (200 x 9 = 1800), but the 200 g of oil emulsion provides only 796 calories. The net result is elimination of 1004 calories and most of the cholesterol from the sausage.
Soy protein concentrate (SPC, 70% protein) is commonly added to home made sausages, but will not produce an emulsion. Soy protein isolate (SPI, 90% protein) produces the real gel: a white, soft, cream cheese-like substance that tastes like fat. Soy protein concentrate (SPC) produces a yellowish paste at best. In addition SPC will not even make a paste when used at 1:4:5 (SPC : oil : water) ratio. The amount of SPC has to be increased and the final product is still a paste. Soy protein isolate is pure protein with a very few impurities and that is why it makes such a great emulsion. Although SPI is slightly more expensive than SPC, it is used in such a small amount that the price should not be the decisive factor.
