The chemical composition, instrumental texture and sensory properties of eighteen conventional and three low-fat commercially produced frankfurters were analysed. The most important factors in de®ning the texture of the product were hardness and juiciness, these being related respectively to the percentage of protein and the fat/protein ratio in the frankfurter. Subsequently, using a basic formulation of soya protein and starch, dierent levels of fat (10 and 15%) and hydrocolloids [carrageenan, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and apple pectin] were tested. According to results from these trials, three low-fat formulations were chosen. The three low-fat sausages were a sausage with 15% fat and carrageenan (0.5%), a sausage with 10% fat and a combination of carrageenan (0.5%) and pectin (0.4%) and a sausage with 10% fat and a combination of carrageenan (0.5%) and CMC (0.1%). The sensory and instrumental texture attributes of the three lowfat and the standard sausages were investigated. Results indicated that low-fat (10%) frankfurters with a texture pro®le similar to standard frankfurters could be manufactured through the addition of mixtures of proteins and hydrocolloids. The combination of carrageenan with CMC or apple pectin is more ecient than the use of carrageenan alone as both combinations allow a higher reduction of fat, at the same time achieving a ®nal texture well liked by consumers.

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Increasing support for sustainable development has stimulated institutional change for international programming. In the late 1980s, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in response to a Congressional request, created the new Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP). That initiative focused on the research needs of sustainable agriculture and natural resource management (SANREM). Because of the broad range of the CRSP, the National Research Council was asked to design an integrated research approach, help define research priorities, and suggest management arrangements that would enable sharing knowledge with other AID development activities. The recommended research approach was interdisciplinary, intersectoral, participatory, and systems-based. It was also expected to link socioeconomic and ecological systems (National Research Council, Toward Sustainability: A plan for Collaborative Research on Agriculture and Natural Resource Management. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1991).