Two-thirds of consumers chose chicken nuggets and meatballs containing processed bone mass over the conventional version, according to a survey from sensory experience development and research company Aistila.
“Bone mass does not have an effect on the liking of the odor, appearance or texture of chicken nuggets or meatballs,” Santtu Vekkeli, co-founder of SuperGround, said. “The study results revealed that a clear majority of the consumers feel that the taste and overall quality of the tasted products were significantly improved with the bone mass.”
Harnessing the nutritional benefits of bones could improve the efficiency and sustainability of poultry processing for products such as chicken nuggets. In addition, poultry bones are high in calcium and could help boost a product’s nutritional profile.
The poultry processing technology can increase the production value for poultry-based products up to 30% compared to other methods, without the need for major investments or equipment changes, according to the company’s website.
Consumers like the taste, but will they accept ground bone?
Of the 100 Finnish consumers surveyed, 74% indicated that the taste, texture and overall quality of nuggets containing ground chicken bone mass was better.
Despite this, consumer acceptance of chicken products containing ground bone mass could be a challenge. Respondents were divided when asked if they would purchase this product in-store, with only one-third indicating yes.
The consumers that indicated they would purchase this product were more likely to male than female and students rather than worker-level.
“Due to the consumer interest and improved taste, using bone mass in meat products offers huge benefits for food production companies to be at the forefront of innovation and customer pulse – while simultaneously increasing food production efficiency and sustainability,” Vekkeli added.
"Naturally, some people have doubts about bone mass in their food even if it is completely hidden and tastes the same or even better.”
