Chia seeds and goji puree added to beef burgers
What it found
Adding chia seeds to beef burgers doubled or tripled polyunsaturated fats in lab tests.
People aged 18 to over 60 found the burgers acceptable in taste tests.
What they found
Studies in people
Taste test results
All age groups rated the burgers as acceptable on a nine-point scale. Elderly participants gave the highest scores overall, and people who ate meat most often liked the burgers more than occasional meat eaters.
Animal and lab studies
More polyunsaturated fats
In lab tests, burgers with chia seeds had two to three times more polyunsaturated fats than plain burgers. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats improved from 5.67 in plain burgers to 0.65 when both chia and goji were used at 5%.
Antioxidant levels rose
Lab measurements showed that total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity went up by as much as 70% when both ingredients were added. After simulated digestion, these levels rose about ten-fold across all samples.
Fat breakdown slowed
A marker of fat breakdown called malondialdehyde dropped by up to 50% in burgers made with both chia and goji before digestion. However, after simulated digestion, this marker rose sharply, especially in burgers containing 5% chia seeds.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that adding chia seeds and goji puree improves the fat profile and antioxidant content of beef burgers.
- They note that the amount of plant ingredients must be carefully measured to avoid increasing fat breakdown during digestion.
- They conclude that these enhanced burgers were well liked by all age groups and could serve as a useful meal option.
How it was done
Red meat is often criticized for its saturated fat, while diets low in polyunsaturated fats are linked to chronic disease. The authors wanted to see if adding plant ingredients could improve the fat profile of beef burgers without hurting their taste.
The researchers made cooked beef burgers with chia seeds, goji puree, or both at 2.5% or 5%. They measured fats, antioxidants, and oxidation markers before and after simulated digestion in a lab. They also ran taste tests with 127 people split into young, adult, and elderly groups.
What it can’t tell you
- The digestion and nutrient tests were done in a lab, not inside a human body. Lab digestion cannot perfectly show how nutrients are absorbed by real people.
- The taste tests only measured whether people liked the burgers right then. They cannot show any long-term health effects of eating them.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy; University of Gastronomic Sciences, Italy
The paper
- Title
- Nutritional, antioxidant and sensory properties of functional beef burgers formulated with chia seeds and goji puree, before and after in vitro digestion
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Antonini E, Torri L, Piochi M, Cabrino G, Meli MA, De Bellis R (2020). Nutritional, antioxidant and sensory properties of functional beef burgers formulated with chia seeds and goji puree, before and after in vitro digestion. Meat science. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2019.108021Free full textPubMed 31809915DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error