Composition and retention of lipid nutrients in cooked ground beef relative to heat-transfer rates

This study documents the effects of different heat transfer kinetics on lipid nutrient composition in regular ground beef patties cooked using high (HHT) and low (LHT) heat transfer frying surfaces. Rate of heating from frying surfaces to ground beef patties was measured using iron-constantan thermocouples and related to the retention of beef pattie color, texture, total crude lipid content, fatty acid and cholesterol composition. Ground beef patties cooked for 1, 3 and 6 min using an HHT frying surface reached a higher (P⩽ 0.05) internal temperature than on the LHT frying surface. This observation was associated with higher (P⩽ 0.05) cook value and cook loss, and greater (P⩽0.05) shear force, L* color value and ΔE values. The fatty acid composition of the HHT cooked patties reflected a greater (P⩽ 0.05) loss in monounsaturated fatty acids, than with patties cooked on the LHT surface. The two frying methods produced little effect on beef a* and b* color values, total crude lipid, or polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Cholesterol content of HHT patties was reduced (P⩽ 0.05) relative to both uncooked patties and patties cooked with a LHT surface. These results indicate that heat conductivity of the cooking surface has an impact on the lipid composition of cooked ground beef patties.