The researchers promise their hot dogs will be just as chewy and springy as regular ones

Jul 10, 2014 20:13 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this year, on May 28, researchers announced that, in 2013, roughly 2.1 billion people in the world were either overweight or downright obese. By comparison, the number of obese and overweight folks documented in 1980 was one of just 857 million.

The good news is that, by the looks of it, the scientific community is not one to just point out a problem and then let others try to figure out how to fix it. On the contrary, brainiacs are ready and willing to get to work helping people slim down.

Thus, a recent paper in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry documents the progress that has until now been made by a team of researchers working on developing healthy, low-fat hot dogs that are also tasty.

In this paper, study leader Ana M. Herrero and fellow researchers explain that run-off-the-mill hot dogs pack impressive amounts of pork fat. This fat might give them a very pleasant texture and a hellishly good taste, but it also makes them bad for one's waistline, not to mention one's health.

Hoping to solve this problem, Ana M. Herrero and colleagues are looking into the possibility to have the pork fat in regular hot dogs replaced by healthier alternatives. One of the alternatives that these researchers have in mind is olive oil-based substitutes.

As detailed in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the scientists have until now managed to roll out animal fat substitutes that contain 55% olive oil and that have the potential to reduce the caloric intake resulting from one hot dog by approximately 30%.

Experiments carried out in laboratory conditions have shown that, when compared to regular hot dogs, those made with olive oil-based substitutes instead of pork fat behave similarly when kept in a refrigerator for about three months. However, they tend to be a tad more chewy and harder.

The researchers wish to continue their work, and expect it will not be long until they manage to introduce the world to a hot dog that is the right kind of chewy and springy, and that packs a low-fat content and is consequently healthier than the hot dogs folks currently feast on.

Contrary to what some might want to argue, such research projects are not a complete waste of time, not when the number of overweight and obese individuals in the world appears to be steadily increasing. More so given the fact that, as shown by several investigations, being too plump can cause people to develop various medical complications.