The relationship between S. aureus and branched-chain amino acids content in composite cow milk

The early diagnosis of mastitis is an essential factor for the prompt detection of the animal for further actions. In fact, if not culled, infected cows must be segregated from the milking herd and milked last, or milked with separate milking units. Besides microbiological analysis, the somatic cell count (SCC) commonly used as predictor of intramammary infection, frequently lead to a misclassification of milk samples. To overcome these limitations, more specific biomarkers are continuously evaluated. The total amino acid content increases significantly in mastitic milk compared to normal milk. S. aureus requires branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs—isoleucine, leucine, and valine) for protein synthesis, branched-chain fatty acids synthesis, and environmental adaptation by responding to their availability via transcriptional regulators. The increase of BCAAs in composite milk has been postulated to be linked to mammary infection by S. aureus. The aim of this work is to demonstrate, by a direct ion-pairing reversed-phase method, based on the use of the evaporative light-scattering detector (IP-RP-HPLC-ELSD), applied to 65 composite cow milk samples, a correlation between the concentration of isoleucine and leucine, and S. aureus load. The correlation coe cient, r, was found to be 0.102 for SCC (p = 0.096), 0.622 for isoleucine (p < 0.0001), 0.586 for leucine (p < 0.0001), 0.013 for valine (p = 0.381), and 0.07 for tyrosine (p = 0.034), standing for a positive correlation between S. aureus and isoleucine and leucine concentration. The link between the content of BCAAs, isoleucine and leucine, and udder infection by S. aureus demonstrated with our study has an important clinical value for the rapid diagnosis of S. aureus mastitis in cows.http://www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsam2020Paraclinical Science

Exploring consumer perception of entomophagy by applying the Rasch model: data from an online survey

An online consumer survey, consisting of 23 closed questions divided into 9 sections, was conducted to investigate consumer perception of including edible insects in their diet. The data analysis was carried out using a variation of the classic Rasch-Andrich model for multiple choice questions. The online survey involved individuals (n = 327) from Italy and other 29 different European and non-European countries, with different ages, educational background and eating habits, selected from among people attending the University of Perugia. The analysis showed that the majority of participants (90%) were already aware of the term entomophagy, although only 19% of the participants had already eaten insects. Moreover, 42% of the participants would be willing to pay less than the equivalent of a hamburger to buy 10 g of insects and 93% would consider eating insects if necessary. The factors limiting entomophagy are mainly represented by neophobia, disgust, fear of allergic reactions and microbiological hazards. Furthermore, the majority would expect to find specific shelves in stores for insect-based products. Moreover, the majority of the participants accepted that pet or farm animals could be fed with insect-based products. Lastly, almost all the participants considered food safety of edible insects to be the responsibility of the national competent authorities, as required for other foods. The aim of this study was to address the current perceptions of modern consumers to entomophagy and discover the perceived advantages and disadvantages associated with the consumption of insects. Although it is difficult to predict whether edible insects can effectively represent the “food of the future” and whether they can really become part of western consumers’ diet, the results obtained in this study demonstrated that providing consumers with information not only on insects and the production methods used, but also on food safety measures can improve the consumer’s attitude towards entomophagy.https://brill.com/view/journals/jiff/jiff-overview.xmlhj2024Paraclinical SciencesSDG-02:Zero Hunge

Effect of packaging and storage conditions on some quality traits of bovine meat

Packaging is considered one of the most interesting technological aspects of food production and is a constantly evolving subject in food production. The type of packaging is important for the quality and safety of the product and for the visual appearance of the product to be immediately evaluated by consumers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of four different types of modified atmosphere packaging (ATM) and vacuum packaging (VP) currently used by a company in central Italy, on the main qualitative characteristics of beef. For these two traditional and two new solutions with reduced environmental impact and compostable were evaluated. For each type of packaging, two different products were analyzed: steaks and hamburgers. The samples, immediately after production, were transported to the laboratory in refrigerated containers. Several parameters (color, pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, and microbiological characteristics) were evaluated at time 0 and after 7 (T7), 14 (T14) and 21 days (T21) of storage in the dark and at refrigeration temperature (+4 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C). The results showed that the two types of packaging have very similar effects on the water-retaining capacity of the steaks. More noticeable differences were recorded by the colorimetric analysis: for both steaks and hamburgers, the products packaged in the traditional packaging appeared brighter and redder than those packaged in the new alternatives. The microbiological analysis of the steaks showed higher values in the "new" packaging. The formation of abundant ropy slime was observed in one of the samples in the "new" modified atmosphere package at T21. The results of this study showed that the technological characteristics (in particular, the color) and the microbiological characteristics of the steaks and hamburgers were better in "old" packaging, with a better appearance and a longer shelf life. The results obtained show how the research for eco-sustainable products for packaging must be addressed, taking into account the effect of the materials on the qualitative and hygienic-sanitary characteristics of the meat