**Application of Enoki Mushroom (***Flammulina Velutipes***) Stem Wastes as Functional Ingredients in Goat Meat Nuggets**

**Dipak Kumar Banerjee 1, Arun K. Das 1,\*, Rituparna Banerjee 2, Mirian Pateiro 3, Pramod Kumar Nanda 1, Yogesh P. Gadekar 4, Subhasish Biswas 2, David Julian McClements 5 and Jose M. Lorenzo 3,\***


Received: 4 March 2020; Accepted: 2 April 2020; Published: 4 April 2020

**Abstract:** The impact of di fferent amounts (2%, 4% and 6%) of enoki (*Flammulina velutipes*) mushroom stem waste (MSW) powder on the physicochemical quality, color and textural, oxidative stability, sensory attributes and shelf-life of goa<sup>t</sup> meat nuggets was evaluated. These mushroom by-products (MSW powder) contained a good source of protein (13.5%), ash (8.2%), total phenolics content (6.3 mg GAE/g), and dietary fiber (32.3%) and also exhibited the potential to be strong antioxidants, due to their good metal chelating ability (41.3%), reducing power (60.1%), and free radical scavenging activity (84.2%). Mushroom stem waste improved (*p* < 0.05) the emulsion stability, dietary fiber, ash and phenolics content of nuggets compared to control. Although no significant di fferences (*p* > 0.05) in expressible water and textural properties were observed among the formulations, but MSW powder improved the water holding capacity and slightly decreased the hardness. Further, the inclusion of MSW significantly (*p* < 0.05) improved the oxidative stability and shelf-life of treated nuggets by reducing lipid oxidation during the nine-day storage period. Again, the inclusion of MSW did not negatively a ffect the color and sensory attributes of treated meat nuggets. Overall, our results sugges<sup>t</sup> that enoki mushroom stem waste (4%) can be used as a value-added functional ingredient to produce nutritionally improved and healthier meat products.

**Keywords:** enoki mushroom; physicochemical properties; antioxidant activity; dietary fiber; goa<sup>t</sup> meat nuggets quality; sensory characteristics
