Influence of post-mortem muscle glycogen content on the quality of beef during aging

Introduction: Glycolic changes which occur post-mortem have an impact on the physical and sensory features of beef, which in turn determine the successive processes and influence such beef quality traits as colour, tenderness, and cooling loss. The aim of this study was evaluation of the post-mortem changes in bovine meat during aging, quantitative analysis of glycogen and lactic acid, as well as examination of their impact on technological and sensory quality of selected muscles from Holstein-Friesian × Limousin breed carcasses

Utility of cystatin C as a potential bladder tumour biomarker confirmed by surface plasmon resonance technique

Background & objectives: The determination of cystatin C (cysC) may be helpful in diagnosis and monitoring of cancer because the pathogenesis of cancer is linked with an increased activity of cysteine peptidases (cathepsins) and a decrease of cysC concentration. This study was aimed to examine the utility of cysC as a marker of bladder cancer (BCa) to be used in the diagnosis. Methods: This study was conducted with 90 patients with BCa and 27 healthy people. Patients with other cancers, inflammation process and impaired renal function were excluded from the study. The concentrations of cysC in the plasma and urine were measured by surface plasmon resonance imaging technique. Results: The concentration of cysC in the serum taken from the patients with BCa [0.35±0.02 μg/ml (range: 0.20-0.78 μg/ml)] was significantly (P<0.001) lower than the serum cysC concentration of the healthy people [0.68±0.05 μg/ml (range: 0.52-0.89 μg/ml)]. The urinary cysC concentration of the BCa patients [0.19±0.01 μg/ml (range: 0.09-0.34 μg/ml)] was not significantly different from the urinary cysC concentration of the healthy people [0.24±0.02 μg/ml (range: 0.16-0.33 μg/ml)]. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that BCa patients with cysC concentration <0.54 μg/ml [sensitivity: 87%; specificity: 92%; area under the curve (AUC) of ROC: 0.927; P=0.02] could be optimally separated from healthy people. The ROC curve further showed that superficial low-grade patients with cysC concentration lower than 0.36 μg/ml (sensitivity: 0.63%; specificity: 0.58%; AUC of ROC: 0.635; P=0.08) could not be optimally separated from high-risk tumour patients. Interpretation & conclusions: BCa patients have lower serum cysC concentration than the control group. Serum cysC may be considered as a potential marker of BCa but not its aggressiveness

Meat Analogues in the Perspective of Recent Scientific Research: A Review

There are many reasons why consumers and food producers are looking for alternatives to meat and meat products, which includes the following: health, environmental or ethical aspects. This study reviews recent scientific reports on meat analogues. The scope of the review includes the following: formulation and nutritional value; health safety and legal regulations; manufacturing and processing technologies including the latest developments in this area; product availability on the food market; and consumer attitudes towards meat analogues. The analysis of the literature data identified technological challenges, particularly in improving consumer acceptability of meat analogues. Among the risks and limitations associated with the production of meat analogues, the following were identified: contamination from raw materials and the risk of harmful by-products due to intensive processing; legal issues of product nomenclature; and consumer attitudes towards substituting meat with plant-based alternatives. The need for further research in this area, particularly on the nutritional value and food safety of meat analogues, was demonstrated

Application of Propolis Extract in Gelatin Coatings as Environmentally Friendly Method for Extending the Shelf Life of Pork Loin

This study evaluates the effects of gelatin coating enriched with ethanolic propolis extract (PE) at 1%, 2% or 3% (w/v) on the quality parameters of pork meat during storage at 2 °C. Physical (pH, weight loss, color) and chemical parameters (percentage contents of metmyoglobin (MetMb), along with thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)) were measured, and microbiological (total aerobic plate count (TAPC)) analysis, as well as consumer evaluation, was carried out every four days during the storage period of twelve days. The results indicated that the proposed treatments affected (p &lt; 0.05) the quality characteristics of meat samples. The high prevention of physicochemical alterations and maximum inhibition of microorganisms was obtained for samples stored in gelatin coatings containing 2% and 3% PE. Additionally, despite a slight deterioration in odor on Day 4 in the P3 group, no negative changes in overall acceptability of the P2 and P3 groups compared to uncoated samples were observed. The obtained results indicate a significant role of propolis extract incorporation into gelatin packaging to extend the shelf life of stored pork

The impact of ozone on health-promoting, microbiological, and colour properties of Rubus ideaus raspberries

El presente estudio se propuso definir el impacto que la duración y la concentración de la ozonización tienen sobre determinadas propiedades químicas, físicas y microbiológicas de frambuesas rojas, Rubus ideaus, de la variedad polka. Con este objetivo, la fruta de la frambuesa fue expuesta a un chorro de ozono en concentraciones de 0,3 y 0,9 mg/L durante 60 y 120 minutos. El alcance del estudio permitió medir la acidez valorable, la concentración de sólidos solubles y los indicadores de las propiedades promotoras de la salud, que incluyen el contenido de compuestos fenólicos, flavonoides, antocianinas y vitamina C, así como el total de actividad antioxidante en los días 0, 4 y 8 de almacenamiento. La fruta sometida al tratamiento con ozono presentó niveles más elevados de compuestos fenólicos y de actividad antioxidante en comparación con los mostrados por las frambuesas no tratadas. Además, el uso de ozono ayudó a limitar el crecimiento de levadura y moho en la superficie de las frambuesas, constatándose que el tratamiento con una dosis de ozono de 0.9 mg/L durante 60 minutos fue el más eficiente.The purpose of the study was to define the impact of ozonisation duration and concentration on selected chemical, physical, and microbiological properties of Rubus ideaus red-fruited raspberries of the Polka variety. Raspberry fruit was exposed to a stream of ozone in concentration of 0.3 and 0.9 mg/L over a period of 60 and 120 min. The scope of the study covered the measurements of titratable acidity, soluble solids concentration, and such health-promoting indicators as content of phenol compounds, flavonoids, anthocyanins and vitamins C, total antioxidant activity (TAA) on 0, 4th, and 8th day of storage. The ozone treated fruit had higher level of phenol compounds and demonstrated higher TAA compared to untreated raspberries. The use of ozone made it possible to curb the development of yeast and moulds on the surface of raspberries, in which the dosage of 0.9 mg/L and treatment time of 60 min proved most efficient

Impact of Ozonisation Time and Dose on Health Related and Microbiological Properties of Rapanui Tomatoes

The impact of ozone concentration and ozonisation time on the selected chemical, physical and microbiological properties of Rapanui tomatoes was investigated. Tomatoes were exposed to gaseous ozone at concentrations of 0.9 and 2.5 mg L−1 (c1, c2) for 30 and 120 min (t1, t2), and stored for up to 15 days at a temperature of 12 ± 1 °C. The following parameters were evaluated: titratable acidity, total soluble solids, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, lycopene, total carotenoids, vitamin C, total antioxidant activity, colour L* a* b* and firmness. Ozonated fruit had higher levels of total soluble solids and higher levels of titratable acidity during and after storage. Exposure of tomatoes to a cooling atmosphere, applying recommended ozonisation process parameters, efficiently inactivated microorganisms that are present on the surface and reduced fruit weight loss, while retaining their firmness and stable colour

Green Technology for Pork Loin Wet Curing&mdash;Unconventional Use of Cow and Soy Milk Treated with Non-Thermal Atmospheric Plasma

This study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using plasma-activated cow and soy milk powders as a substitute for sodium nitrite for wet curing of pork meat (m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum). Pork loin slices were cured for 4 d at refrigerate conditions in four brines: water + salt (NC group), water + salt + sodium nitrite (PC group), water + salt + plasma-activated cow milk powder (B1 group), and water + salt + plasma-activated soy milk powder (B2 group). Importantly, brines from groups PC, B1, and B2 were characterized by the same concentration of NO2&minus; ions (200 ppm). Results show that samples from B1 and B2 groups had significantly (p &lt; 0.05) higher values of redness, nitrosylhemochrome content, and lower values of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) compared to samples from the NC group. At the same time, the groups cured with alternative curing agents were characterized by lower residual nitrite content with regard to groups cured with NaNO2. No significant differences (p &ge; 0.05) were found in pH and shear force values among the treatments. Finally, the aroma profile of the samples from groups B1 and B2 was similar to the aroma profile of the samples from the PC group (the aroma differed by a maximum of 1.73% in the case of brine containing plasma-activated cow milk powder) but differed significantly from the NC group (the aroma differed in 97.21%). Due to the higher nitrite depletion in the final product, while maintaining the quality parameters similar to traditionally cured pork loins, both alternative curing agents can be recommended, with a predominance of plasma-treated soy milk

Novel Protein Sources for Applications in Meat-Alternative Products&mdash;Insight and Challenges

Many people are increasingly interested in a vegetarian or vegan diet. Looking at the research and the available options in the market, there are two generations of products based on typical proteins, such as soy or gluten, and newer generation proteins, such as peas or faba beans, or even proteins based on previously used feed proteins. In the review, we present the characteristics of several proteins that can be consumed as alternatives to first-generation proteins used in vegan foods. In the following part of the work, we describe the research in which novel protein sources were used in terms of the product they are used for. The paper describes protein sources such as cereal proteins, oilseeds proteins coming from the cakes after oil pressing, and novel sources such as algae, insects, and fungus for use in meat analog products. Technological processes that can make non-animal proteins similar to meat are also discussed, as well as the challenges faced by technologists working in the field of vegan products

Physicochemical Characteristics of Pork Liver Pâtés Containing Nonthermal Air Plasma-Treated Egg White as an Alternative Source of Nitrite

The use of nonthermal air plasma is rapidly becoming a novel technology as an alternative source of nitrites in the meat industry. As egg white is a versatile and cost-effective ingredient commonly used to improve the texture of meat products, the effect of its addition after plasma treatment (PTEW) on the yield, pH, residual nitrite, nitrosyl hemochrome, TBARS, color, texture parameters, and aroma profile of pork liver pâtés was studied. The nitrite ion content of plasma-activated egg whites was adjusted to the positive controls containing 60 ppm (PC1) and 120 ppm (PC2) sodium nitrite by modifying the duration of their plasma treatment (PTEW1 and PTEW2, respectively). A group without the addition of nitrites was also manufactured (NC). Each treatment (NC, PC1, PC2, PTEW1, PTEW2) was analyzed on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 of storage at 4 °C. The results showed that liver pâtés containing plasma-treated egg whites had a similar nitrite and nitrosyl hemochrome content compared to samples containing the same amount of nitrite ions derived from sodium nitrite (p ≥ 0.05). In addition, 40 ppm nitrite ions, regardless of the source, was sufficient to achieve the desired reddish-pink color of the product over the entire storage period. Both nitrites from sodium nitrite and plasma-treated egg whites also significantly reduced lipid oxidation compared to the NC group (between 10% and 23% reduction on the last day), but had no significant effect on yield, pH, and texture parameters of the products. Based on the principal component analysis (PCA), the aroma profile of pâtés differed significantly between the groups with and without nitrites, with the largest differences observed on the first day (approx. 88%). Importantly, PTEW1 and PTEW2 aroma after production was similar to group PC2. The results of our study suggest that plasma-activated egg whites can be used as a potential source of nitrite in liver pâté production without adversely affecting the technological properties and shelf life of the final product

Influence of Plant Extract Addition to Marinades on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Formation in Grilled Pork Meat

Marinating is one of the most common methods of pre-processing meat. Appropriate selection of marinade ingredients can influence the physicochemical properties of the meat and can reduce the level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the final product. The effects of the inclusion of natural plant extracts such as bay leaf (BL), black pepper (BP), turmeric (TU), jalapeno pepper (JP) and tamarind paste (TA) in marinades on the physicochemical properties of grilled pork neck were studied. The addition of spice extracts to marinades increased the proportion of colour components L* and b*. The use of TU, TA, JP, MX and C marinades lowered the hardness and pH of the meat. The highest phenolic compound levels were observed in the case of the mixture of all extracts (MX) and JP marinades, and the highest total antioxidant capacity was exhibited by the BL and MX marinades. The highest PAH content was recorded in the CON marinade (&Sigma;12PAH 98.48 &plusmn; 0.81 &micro;g/kg) and the lowest in the JP marinade (4.76 &plusmn; 0.08 &micro;g/kg), which had the strongest, statistically significant reducing effect (95% reduction) on PAH levels. Analysis of correlation coefficients showed a relationship between the total antioxidant capacity of the marinades and the PAH content in grilled pork