A rapid high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for unambiguous detection of different milk species employed in cheese manufacturing

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Contribution of vegetables and cured meat to dietary nitrate and nitrite intake in Italian population: Safe level for cured meat and controversial role of vegetables

Nitrate and nitrite content was determined on a total of 900 samples of vegetables and cured meat and the nitrite and nitrate exposure assessment was evaluated for central Italy population based on the food consumption data reported by the national dietary surveys. The highest average content of nitrate was detected in rocket salad (4415 mg/kg) and radish (3817 mg/kg) and for cured meat in “Bresaola” (188 mg/kg) and in Bacon (178 mg/kg). The nitrite content was negligible both in vegetables than in cured meat. The average consumption among population resulted 3.45 g/kg bw/die and 0.62 g/kg bw/die for vegetables and cured meat respectively. The obtained data confirm that nitrate ADI was higher than the limits of 3.7 mg/kg bw/die for infants and was the highest exposure level for people of all ages. Cured meat consumption did not contribute to nitrate ADI exceedance neither as a mean nor as 99th percentile of exposure

Experimental accelerated shelf life determination of a ready-to-eat processed food

The most direct way to estimate the shelf life of a product is to conduct simulation tests which are time consuming and expensive. Conversely, accelerated shelf life tests can be successfully used for stable products having long expected shelf life. The aim of the study was directed to verify the possibility to apply an accelerated shelf life test to perishable food products having a short-expected shelf life, such as a new ready-to-eat processed food preparation, composed mainly by cereals, tuna and chicken, packed in thermo-sealed trays and pasteurised. Different samples of the product were stored in thermal abuse conditions, collected periodically and subjected to determinations of TVB-N, pH and sensorial characteristics. Q10 and activation energy were calculated allowing to obtain a predictive evaluation of the product shelf life at the 4°C recommended temperature. The product shelf life was assessed at 26 days vs the 30 days expected by the manufacturer, showing the possibility to apply successfully ASLT for products having short shelf life, saving both time and money

Discovering microbiota and volatile compounds of surströmming, the traditional Swedish sour herring

none13noIn this study, the microbiota of ready-to-eat surströmming from three Swedish producers were studied using a combined approach. The pH values of the samples ranged between 6.67±0.01 and 6.98±0.01, whereas their aw values were between 0.911±0.001 and 0.940±0.001. The acetic acid concentration was between 0.289±0.009 g/100 g and 0.556±0.036 g/100 g. Very low concentrations of lactic acid were measured. Viable counting revealed the presence of mesophilic aerobes, mesophilic lactobacilli and lactococci as well as halophilic lactobacilli and lactococci, coagulase-negative staphylococci, halophilic aerobes and anaerobes. Negligible counts for Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae and total eumycetes were observed, whereas no sulfite-reducing anaerobes were detected. Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were absent in all samples. Multiplex real-time PCR revealed the absence of the bont/A, bont/B, bont/E, bont/F, and 4gyrB (CP) genes, which encode botulinic toxins, in all the samples analyzed. Metagenomic sequencing revealed the presence of a core microbiota dominated by Halanaerobium praevalens, Alkalibacterium gilvum, Carnobacterium, Tetragenococcus halophilus, Clostridiisalibacter, and Porphyromonadaceae. Psychrobacter celer, Ruminococcaceae, Marinilactibacillus psychrotolerans, Streptococcus infantis and Salinivibrio costicola were detected as minority OTUs. GC-MS analysis of volatile components revealed the massive presence of trimethylamine and sulfur compounds. Moreover, 1,2,4-trithiolane, phenols, ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, esters and long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons were also detected. The data obtained allowed pro-technological bacteria, which are well-adapted to saline environments, to be discovered for the first time. Further analyses are needed to better clarify the extent of the contribution of either the microbiota or autolytic enzymes of the fish flesh in the aroma definition.restrictedLuca Belleggia, Lucia Aquilanti, Ilario Ferrocino, Vesna Milanović, Cristiana Garofalo, Francesca Clementi, Luca Cocolin, Massimo Mozzon, Roberta Foligni, M. Naceur Haouet, Stefania Scuota, Marisa Framboas, Andrea OsimaniBelleggia, Luca; Aquilanti, Lucia; Ferrocino, Ilario; Milanovic, Vesna; Garofalo, Cristiana; Clementi, Francesca; Cocolin, Luca; Mozzon, Massimo; Foligni, Roberta; Naceur Haouet, M.; Scuota, Stefania; Framboas, Marisa; Osimani, Andre

Does hunted wild boar meat meet modern consumer nutritional expectations?

The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional characteristics of hunted wild boar (WB) meat and compare them with those of meat from analogous domestic animals (pigs) reared in two different rearing systems: indoor-intensive (PI) and outdoor-extensive (PO). WB meat showed a lower amount of lipid content compared to pork and a higher antioxidant activity compared to PI and PO. The comparison of the fatty acid composition of WB and domestic pig reveals significant differences in saturated fatty acids (SFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), with WB having the highest PUFA level and the lowest SFA. The omega 6/omega 3 (n-6/n-3) PUFA ratio, PUFA/SFA, atherogenic and thrombogenic indices (AI and TI), as well as the hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic index (h/H), were calculated. The n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was higher in pork independently of the rearing system. The PUFA/SFA ratio of WB meat was above the minimum ratio of 0.40 recommended to contribute to a reduction in the risk of coronary diseases in pork from both rearing systems. AI and TI were lower in meat from hunted wild boars compared to commercially reared pigs, while h/H was higher in WB in comparison with pork meat. WB meat shows good nutritional quality; therefore, the use of game meat as a food source could be appropriate and could benefit contemporary consumers looking for “green” and high-nutritional products

Influence of Oral Supplementation with Whey on Egg Quality Characteristics and Fatty Acid Composition

The effects of whey supplementation on egg quality characteristics and fatty acid composition were studied. A total of 240 ISA hens were used and divided into two uniform groups: for the experiment group was used a solution of water 10% and whey 90% while for the control group was used pure water (100 %). Eggs were collected daily after 30 days of feeding and stored at 4 °C during the experiment. Lastly eggs were boiled in water at 100 °C for 10 minutes and then be analyzed (0 days). The advance of the oxidative state was also assessed at 6 days after cooking. The whey supplementation carried out egg yolks with different % of some volatile compounds and similar lipids and fatty acid composition compared to samples coming from the control group. The colour and lipid oxidative stability of egg yolk are significantly different between the two groups. MDA value was lower in the experimental group, while the colour was higher than the control, probably due to an antioxidant effect of some compounds present in the whey. Supplementation of whey in the diet of laying hens has positive effects on the quality of eggs, especially on oxidative stability

Treatment optimisation and sample preparation for the evaluation of lipid oxidation in various meats through TBARs assays before analysis

The aim of this work was to evaluate the critical points while using a TBARs test to measure the lipid oxidation in meat samples; this method includes a distillation method, extracting acid solutions (7% trichloroacetic acid—TCA, 4% perchloric acid—HClO4 and 4 N hydrochloric acid—HCl), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) concentrations and their interactions. The TBARs test method has been evaluated in different animal meat species and in different kinds of meat: fresh, stored, frozen and at different times of defrosting. Moreover, the influence of sample management was evaluated. The best results were obtained after using a distillation and a cold extraction with 7% TCA. The presence of the antioxidant agent (BHT) was essential and was more important in frozen samples than in fresh meat and especially when it was added at negligible concentrations immediately before defrosting, within 2 min of sample withdrawal from the freezer. The general management of the sample requires careful attention, avoiding storage and/or freezing, and lean meat appears to be more susceptible than fatty meat to the oxidative process

Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Egg Yolk Quality and Oxidative Stability

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary vitamin E supplementation on oxidative stability in cooked egg yolk. A total of 240 ISA hens were used and divided into two uniform groups: water with a vitamin E supplementation (450 ppm) was used in the experimental group, while for the control group only pure water (100%) was used. Eggs were collected daily after 30 days of feeding and stored at 4°C. Lastly eggs were boiled in water at 100°C for 10 minutes and egg quality was immediately tested (0 days). The advance of the oxidative state was further assessed at 6 days of storage at 4°C after cooking. The obtained results show that the colour and α-tochopherol concentration of egg yolk were significantly different between the two groups, at 0 days. The malondialdehyde (MDA) value and hexanal % were higher at the two storage time after cooking in the control group than the experimental one, probably due to antioxidant activity of vitamin E. During storage, the oxidative stability decreases in both groups

Evaluation of the safety of Milano-type dry fermented sausages produced by a fast drying technology

A challenge test based on the inoculum of a multi-strain cocktail of Listeria innocua and Salmonella enterica viable cells was carried out to evaluate the capacity of an accelerated manufacturing technique (including conventional fermentation of the meat batter followed by freezing, slicing and drying) to guarantee the safety of Milano-type fermented sausages. The counts of S. enterica decreased by 1.5 and 1.6 log CFU/g in the sausages inoculated with 2 and 4 log CFU/g, respectively, while a less notable reduction (0.4 log CFU/g) was recorded for L. innocua, independently from the inoculum load. The comparison between the main microbiological and physico-chemical features of noninoculated fermented sausages, produced through either the accelerated or the traditional process, highlighted significant differences in the percent R.H. and aw values, as well as pH In both cases, the absence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes was ascertained. These outcomes encourage further investigation on the fate of these foodborne pathogens during a shelf-life challenge test. No differences were highlighted for the main sensory parameters analyzed

Journey to the morpho-textural traits, microbiota, and volatilome of Ciauscolo PGI salami

Two independent manufacturing batches of naturally fermented Ciauscolo PGI salami were studied from the day of production to the end of ripening (20 days). The microbiota compositional shift of samples was studies through culture-dependent and metataxonomic analysis. Analyses of physico-chemical, morpho-textural, and volatilome traits were also carried out. Lat. sakei was the dominant species from t5, together with Dellaglioa algida and Leuconostoc carnosum. Among eumycetes, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Debaryomyces hansenii, Kurtzmaniella zeylanoides, and Malassezia restricta/globosa were the most abundant taxa occurring in all samples. Candidate starter or adjunct cultures of Latilactobacillus sakei were isolated and characterized for: i) acidification performance; ii) enzymatic activity; iii) production of exopolysaccharides; iv) production of bacteriocins; v) quantification of the hdcA gene of Gram-positive bacteria. The 44 Lat. sakei cultures showed a suitable acid production capacity, together with the capability to cope with the main environmental stresses occurring in fermented sausages. For most of the isolates, strong aminopeptidase activity (leucine arylamidase and the valine arylamidase) was observed. Moreover, the majority of isolates showed the in vitro production of sucrose-dependent exopolysaccharides. No Lat. sakei isolates positive for the hdcA gene were observed. Based on these evidence, a few candidate starter or adjunct cultures, with potential use for product safety and quality improvement, were highlighted, namely Lat. sakei C5, C7, C11, C31, C45, C48, C53, C55, and C60. In the analyzed samples, 53 volatile substances were fully or tentatively identified; among these, spices-derived components (black pepper and garlic cloves) were constantly detected throughout the whole ripening time