Effect of fresh pork meat conditioning on quality characteristics of salami

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of pork meat conditioning under different relative humidity (RH) values on salami quality characteristics. During a 6 days conditioning period at 0 \ub0C under two levels of RH (95% vs. 80%), meat pH and weight loss were measured. Salami characteristics (moisture, weight loss, texture, appearance properties) were evaluated during 20 days of ripening. Results showed that conditioning at 80% RH yielded a significantly drier meat, being the weight loss rate 1.6 times higher than at 95% RH. The lower water content of meat allowed a shorter salami ripening phase, guaranteeing an appropriate weight loss and the development of the desired texture, while maintaining good appearance properties. The acceleration of this production phase represents a clear economic advantage for producers and consumers, leading to higher profit margins and lower retail prices. The possibility of using FT-NIR spectroscopy as a valid tool for the rapid evaluation of salami ripening was also demonstrated

Classification of uranium ore concentrates applying support vector machine to spectrophotometric and textural features

Uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) are produced in the early stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, prior to conversion to uranium hexafluoride. Because of their high uranium content and the large-scale production, UOCs diversion from civilian use and proliferation are potential risks. This implies the necessity to develop methods able to recognise characteristic parameters correlating each UOC powder to its history and origin. Here, a novel methodology is proposed: first the reflectance spectra of 79 commercial UOCs are acquired and clustered by means of Ward\u27s clustering analysis, then classified by Support Vector Machine (SVM). Second, SVM classification is applied to the image textural features extracted with the Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and the Angle Measure Technique (AMT) algorithms for powders in two different colour groups. The developed SVM models present good classification quality: a Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.95 is obtained for the classification based on colours while macro-F1 is generally greater than 0.81 (MCC larger than 0.75) for the texture-based classification. These results reveal the potentiality of the present automated classification for the scopes of nuclear forensics in the identification of an unknown uranium ore concentrate sample

Structuring and texturing gluten‑free pasta: egg albumen or whey proteins?

The effects of adding egg albumen or whey proteins to pasta made from parboiled rice flour (PR) were investigated. Pasta quality was evaluated in terms of color, furosine content, and cooking properties (water absorption, cooking loss, and consistency at the optimal cooking time). The surface heterogeneity of the cooked and uncooked materials was studied, and some starch properties (pasting properties and starch susceptibility to \u3b1-amylase hydrolysis) were assessed, along with the features of the protein network as determined by conditional solubility studies and with ultrastructural features of the cooked products. Egg albumen improved pasta appearance and gave a product with low cooking loss, firmer, and nutritionally more valuable than the other ones. In albumen-enriched pasta, small starch granules appear homogeneously surrounded by a protein network. In the uncooked product, the protein network is stabilized mostly by hydrophobic interactions, but additional disulfide interprotein bonds form upon cooking. Thus, addition of 15 % liquid albumen to PR results in significant improvement of the textural and structural features of rice-based gluten-free pasta

Monitoring the colour changes during aging of salami by MIA

The red colour intensity of a meat product like salami mainly depends on the relative quantity of each myoglobin oxidation state. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether MIA could monitor the colour changes occurring during the aging of salami, in comparison with the assessment of the colour coordinates (R, G, B, Intensity mean) by Image Analysis

Pathogens inactivation kinetics in co-digestion of swine manure and swine carcass.

ABSTRACT: Swine intensive production increases the necessity of efficient manure management and treatment. Additionally, animal carcasses disposal inside or outside animal rearing farms is under concern and object of discussion because biosecurity protocols. Anaerobic digestion has a potential to convert biodegradable organic carbon into biogas. Swine manure and swine carcass co-digestion could be a feasible alternative to treat these residues and generate a renovable energy source. However, biodigestion has limited capacity to remove pathogenic micro-organisms and this must be studied to minimize the biologic risks and assure safe disposal and use of digestate. Considering this, the objective of this study was to evaluate the Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella enterica ? serovar Senftenberg (S. Senftenberg) inactivation kinetics during swine manure and swine carcass co-digestion. The inactivation experiments were conducted in triplicates, where different inactivation strategies were performed at two temperatures (24ºC and 37ºC).Two swine carcass/swine manure ratios were studied(3kgcarcass.m-3 manureand 15 kgcarcass.m-3 manure). S. Senftenberg was total inactivated after 10 days for both temperature and both ratios of swine carcass/swine manure. At 37ºC and ratio of 3kgcarcass.m-3 manureE.coli was total inactivated after 10 days and at ratio 15 kgcarcass.m-3 manureafter 8 days. At 24ºC it were necessary 25 days and 31 days for relations 15kg.m-3 and 3kg.m-3 respectively. Digestion temperature influenced the inactivation process being more pronounced for E. coli. In batch reactors operating at 37ºC it is suggested hydraulic retention time (HRT) greater than 10 days for total elimination of E.coli and S. Senftenberg, while at 24ºC for at least 30 days

Associação do marcador LEPR com composição da coxa em frango de corte.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 01.06.10.602-03

Associação de um marcador molecular no gene da Grelina com características de integridade óssea em frangos de corte.

Projeto/Plano de Ação: 06.09.06.001

Gluten-Free Bread : Influence of Sourdough and Compressed Yeast on Proofing and Baking Properties

The use of sourdough is the oldest biotechnological process to leaven baked goods, and it represents a suitable technology to improve traditional bread texture, aroma, and shelf life. A limited number of studies concerning the use of sourdough in gluten-free (GF) breadmaking have been published in comparison to those on traditional bread. The aim of this study was to compare the properties of GF breads obtained by using a previously in-lab developed GF-sourdough (SD), compressed yeast (CY; Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or their mixture (SDCY) as leavening agents; more specifically, it aims to confirm the findings of a previous studies and to further improve (both in terms of recipe and process) the features of the resulting GF breads. Dough pH and rheological properties were measured. Fresh and stored breads were characterized for weight, height, specific volume, crust and crumb color, moisture, water activity, crumb hardness, and porosity. The combination SDCY was effective in improving bread volume and softness when compared to SD only. Furthermore, SD- and SDCY-crumbs exhibited a less crumbly behavior during storage (69 h, 25 \ub0C, 60% of relative humidity) in comparison to CY-breads. This study confirms the positive effect of SD in GF breadmaking, in particular when used in combination with CY