Eating Beef May Be Healthier Thanks to Orange Meatballs

A team of food scientists and nutritionists at the University of Missouri has discovered that adding citrus fiber to ground beef gives the popular food a much needed boost in fiber while not affecting the quality and taste of the meat. They presented their findings at the American Meat Science Association conference.

The find comes at at time when many American diets regularly fall short of meeting nutritional guidelines for healthy meals amid increasing episodes of obesity and diabetes. Most Americans only consume half of the recommended daily allowance of dietary fiber, the researchers said.

In an attempt to seek ways to increase consumption of dietary fiber, which is beneficial in maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of developing diabetes or heart disease, Ayca Gedikoglu, a doctoral student studying food science, and Andrew Clarke, associate professor of food science at University of Missouri, developed what is being called the first citrus meatball recipe. At one- to five-percent fiber, the meatballs, from a nutritional standpoint, are an improvement over the classic recipe, which traditionally contains no dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber was added to the meatballs in the form of citrus powder, a typically sweet and tangy concoction of citrus peels. The food scientists faced the challenge of creating a recipe that increased the fiber but did not alter the taste of texture of the meatballs.

Gedikoglu's citrus meatballs contain two percent citrus fiber, which is enough to give them approximately five grams of fiber per serving.

"The health benefits of dietary fiber, mainly found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, include helping maintain a healthy weight, preventing or relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease," Gedikoglu and her colleagues said in a statement. "Soluble fiber, found mainly in whole grains and some fruits, is particularly beneficial for diabetics, because fiber slows sugar absorption and improves blood sugar levels. Fiber tends to make a person feel full faster and stay full longer because it is less "energy dense," which means the product contains fewer calories."

Gedikoglu suggests using citrus powder as a replacement for bread crumbs in meatball recipes, but also notes that the trick might work even better on hamburgers.