Starch and plant or animal proteins represent a rich source that can be used for fortifying meat products. The present study aimed to analyze how the different additives used (soy protein isolate, chickpea flour, lupine concentrate, sodium caseinate and starch, in 2% concentration) influence the rheological properties of beef emulsions and gels, cooking losses and the texture of the finished products. Rheological parameters G’ (storage modulus), G* (complex modulus) and Delta angle were determined by increasing the temperature from 5 to 70 °C, with a rate of 1 °C/min. The study highlighted that the addition of vegetable proteins (soy, chickpeas and lupine) improved strength of meat gels (G’ > 1057.8 Pa), while the addition of sodium caseinate and starch reduced the consistency of the gel network structure (G’ < 1057.8 Pa). All additions led to a decrease in heat treatment losses (a reduction of maximum 62% of cooking loss, from 11.89% for control to 4.54% in case of samples with added starch) and the hardness of heat-treated products. The maximum reduction of hardness was observed for samples with added starch, from 2.83 kgf to 1.08 kgf.

The use of wheat bran (WB) to obtain functional meat products is a concept to be studied, due to sustainability issues and the nutritional advantages related to the decrease in caloric value, and the intake of phytonutrients, which can limit the incidence of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, or colon cancer. Beef meatballs with added wheat bran (5, 10, and 15%) were analyzed in terms of their physico-chemical parameters: pH, proximal composition, fiber content, caloric value and texture, antioxidant activity, fatty acids, amino acids, mineral content, and peroxide value. The fiber concentration in the meatballs increased proportionally with the WB addition. Although the antioxidant activity of the meatballs with WB was higher at the time of sample production, their stability proved to be weaker over time. The addition of wheat bran resulted in an overall decrease in amino acid concentrations and an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations from 9.32 g/100 g to 14.36 g/100 g. For Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu, and Cr, there were significant increases between groups (p < 0.001), while Na and Zn decreased with the addition of wheat bran. The peroxide value (PV) and free acidity (FFA) decreased with the increase in the proportion of added fiber. The increase in the percentage of wheat bran also generated significant reductions (p < 0.001) for all textural parameters investigated. Including wheat bran in meatballs can present technical challenges related to composition cohesion and product shaping, as well as sensory acceptance. At the industrial scale, problems may arise related to the processing equipment, and the shaping of meatballs becoming difficult with the increased wheat bran addition.