Fat cell rupture in a comminuted meat batter as a determinative factor of heat stability

A method was developed for the selective extraction of fat from ruptured fat cells in comminuted sausage batters. It was found that over a wide range of chopping temperatures (4–28°C) the level of extractable fat in an unheated meat batter is significantly correlated (P < 0.001) with the percentage of fat separation after heating to 80°C or 120°C. The results indicate that the integrity of the fat cells in a sausage batter rather than the availability of released fat for emulsification determines the heat stability of the batter

Effect of breed, feeding level and slaughter weight on meat quality characteristics of bulls

Verslag van een onderzoek naar de vleeskwaliteitseigenschappen van FH- en MRIJ-stieren. De kwaliteitsbepalingen werden uitgevoerd aan drie verschillende spieren, namelijk M. longissimus dorsi, M. pectoralis profundus en M. triceps brachii. De onderzochte dieren werden gevoerd volgens drie voerniveau's; ad libitum, 80% en 60% van ad libitum en zij werden geslacht op 380, 440, en 500 kg lichaamsgewich

Effect of breed, feeding level and slaughter weight on meat quality characteristics of bulls

Verslag van een onderzoek naar de vleeskwaliteitseigenschappen van FH- en MRIJ-stieren. De kwaliteitsbepalingen werden uitgevoerd aan drie verschillende spieren, namelijk M. longissimus dorsi, M. pectoralis profundus en M. triceps brachii. De onderzochte dieren werden gevoerd volgens drie voerniveau's; ad libitum, 80% en 60% van ad libitum en zij werden geslacht op 380, 440, en 500 kg lichaamsgewich

Moderate livestock grazing of salt, and brackish marshes benefits breeding birds along the mainland coast of the Wadden Sea

Our study investigated how bird species richness and abundance was related to livestock grazing on salt, and brackish marshes, with an emphasis on songbirds, and shorebirds. Survey areas with a high percentage cover of tall vegetation were assumed to have experienced lower livestock grazing intensities than survey areas with a low percentage cover of tall vegetation. This relationship was verified for the tall grass Elytrigia atherica. The species richness, and abundance of birds was related to the percentage cover of tall vegetation on the survey areas. We found that total bird species richness was positively related to the percentage cover of tall vegetation. We also found that all of the investigated species, except Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), showed a positive relation to the percentage cover of tall vegetation up to a specific percentage of cover. The abundance of investigated songbird species increased up to an intermediate percentage cover of tall vegetation, and decreased at higher percentage cover of tall vegetation, suggesting that moderate grazing of marshes may maximize the abundance of the investigated songbirds. Abundances of Common Redshank (Tringa totanus) and Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) were positively related to the percentage cover of tall vegetation on salt marshes, but negatively related to the percentage cover of tall vegetation on brackish marshes. With intermediate livestock grazing species number, and abundance of most breeding birds can be maintained in coastal marshes. However, specific goals for management should be set before applying a grazing regime to a marsh

Oystercatchers' bill shapes as a proxy for diet specialization: more differentiation than meets the eye

Eurasian Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus ostralegus are a classic example of individual feeding specialization. Feeding specialization causes morphological differentiation in Oystercatchers' bill shapes due to varying degrees of abrasion associated with specific handling techniques for each prey species. Consequently, the Oystercatcher's bill shape has been used as a proxy for diet specialization, as it provides a quick and easy way to assess the diet choice of this marine top-predator. However, bill shapes of Oystercatchers are categorized visually in distinct types, while it has been argued that the relevant variation is continuous. Also, it is unclear how comparable the bill-shape classification is among studies and between the sexes and how universal bill shape-diet relationships are. Here we investigate the usefulness of bill-shape types as a proxy for diet choice in Oystercatchers, using four new and two published datasets. We show that quantitative bill-morphometrics provide no evidence that bill-shape types are discrete entities. Additionally, the dimensions of the same bill-shape type differ across studies. This difference is unlikely to be caused by methodology and might reflect subtle additional feeding specialization among birds with the same bill-shape type. Moreover, we show that the tip of the bill of males is typically 7% higher than that of females with the same bill-shape type. A higher - and probably stronger - bill tip in males may explain why males had more shellfish in their diet than females with the same bill-shape type. Finally, a literature-review shows that the exact bill shape-diet relationship differs between studies and the sexes. We conclude that the interpretation of bill-shape type as a proxy for diet choice in Oystercatchers is context dependent. We propose that quantitative bill dimensions are a better proxy for feeding specialization than bill-shape types