Charqui meats are hurdle technology meat products

Charqui meat is a tropical intermediate meat product formulated using hurdle technology, a concept described by Leistner (1,2). Salt, sodium nitrite, dehydration, and packaging are hurdles sequentially applied to inhibit deteriorating microorganisms with the possibility of selecting desirable microbiota. This would characterize charqui and its derivatives as fermented meat products. This paper reviews biochemical, physico-chemical, and ultrastructural changes that occur during processing of charquis.

Thermal properties of passion fruit juice as affected by temperature and water content

The specific heat, thermal conductivity and density of passion fruit juice were experimentally determined from 0.506 to 0.902 (wet basis) water content and temperatures from 0.4 to 68.8C. The experimental results were compared with existing and widely used models for the thermal properties. In addition, based on empiric equations from literature, new simple models were parameterized with a subset of the total experimental data. The specific heat and thermal conductivity showed linear dependency on water content and temperature, while the density was nonlinearly related to water content. The generalized predictive models were considerably good for this product but the empiric, product-specific models developed in the present work yield better predictions. Even though the existing models showed a moderate accuracy, the new simple ones would be preferred, because they constitute an easier and direct way of evaluating the thermal properties of passion fruit juice, requiring no information about the chemical composition of the product, and a reduced time of the estimation procedure, as the new empiric models are described in terms of only two physical parameters, the water content and the temperature. © Copyright 2005, Blackwell Publishing All Rights Reserved.

Shelf-life of tail meat of the giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, stored on ice

The objective of this study was to evaluate the shelf-life of peeled giant river prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii stored directly in contact with ice (DCI), and without direct contact with ice (WCI). The prawns from DCI treatment showed an intense leaching of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) and total volatile bases nitrogen (TVB-N), thus suggesting that NPN or TVB-N should not be used as freshness indicators of peeled tails stored directly in contact with ice. Loss of flavor and a quick texture tactile decrease with time occurred in both treatments. The shelf-life of peeled tails prepared from M. rosenbergii was 7 days for DCI and 10 days WCI. © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Meat yield of Callinectes bocourti A. Milne Edwards, 1879 (Crustacea, Portunidae) in Iguape, São Paulo, Brazil

The objective of the present study was to analyze the meat yield for both sexes of the crab Callinectes bocourti in the region of Iguape, Brazil. The carapace width for males was 78.1-114.0 mm (96.7 ± 9.5 mm) and for females 76.0-106.3 mm (93.0 ± 7.8 mm). In males, the total wet weight ranged from 65.53 to 224.36 g (134.04 ± 40.77 g) and for females from 56.66 to 164.74 g (105.93 ± 26.88 g). A comparison of morphological structures revealed that the greatest meat yield was in the carapace (55.1%), followed by the right chela (16.9%), the left chela (15.9%), and the legs (12.1%). The total yield from the males (28.5%) was slightly higher than that from the females (22.1%). In general, portunids yield more meat than other crab species. The results of this study will allow the optimization of meat production for this crab species. Manual meat removal makes the process more expensive. This activity could offer an alternative to the fishing communities that live exclusively from this fishery resource. © 2007 Escuela de Ciencias del Mar Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.

Thermal evaporation: Representation of rise in boiling point of grapefruit juice

The rise in boiling point of grapefruit juice was experimentally measured at soluble solids concentrations in the range of 9.3-60.6 °Brix and pressures between °6.0 × 103 and 9.0 × 104 Pa. Different approaches to represent experimental data, including the Dhring's rule, the Antoine equation and empirical models proposed in the literature were tested. In the range of 9.3-29.0 °Brix, the rise in boiling point was nearly independent of pressure, varying only with juice concentration. Considerable deviations of this behavior began to occur at concentrations higher than 29.0 °Brix. Experimental data could be best predicted by adjusting an empirical model, which consisted of a single equation that takes into account the dependence of rise in boiling point on pressure and concentration. © SAGE Publications 2007.

Características sensoriais da carne de cordeiro maturada e injetada com cloreto de cálcio: Sensory characteristics of lamb meat ageing and injected with calcium chloride

Sensory characteristics of Morada Nova lambs meat (muscles Biceps femoris, Longissimus and Triceps brachii) submitted to effects of ageing and injection of calcium chloride were studied. The lambs were slaughtered at 25 kg of body weight. After rigor mortis, muscles were removed and submitted to treatments. The variance analysis indicated that ageing and calcium chloride didn't influence the attributes flavor (6.71) and tenderness (7.13) of meats from Biceps femoris. The interaction among the factors wasn't significant for tenderness, however it was significant for flavor. Ageing didn't affect colour (7.08), flavor (7.42), tenderness (7.83) and global impression (7.58) of meats from Longissimus without calcium chloride, and meats with calcium chloride also didn't affect. Ageing and calcium chloride factor didn't influence the attributes flavor and tenderness of meats from Triceps brachii. The interaction among the factors wasn't significant for attributes flavor and tenderness. The sensory quality of Morada Nova lambs meat, was shown similar with relationship to evaluated attributes when it was submitted to ageing and injection with calcium chloride.

Rheology and fluid dynamics properties of sugarcane juice

The sugarcane juice is a relatively low-cost agricultural resource, abundant in South Asia, Central America and Brazil, with vast applications in producing ethanol biofuel. In that way, a good knowledge of the rheological properties of this raw material is of crucial importance when designing and optimizing unit operations involved in its processing. In this work, the rheological behavior of untreated (USCJ, 17.9 °Brix), clarified (CSCJ, 18.2 °Brix) and mixed (MSCJ, 18.0 °Brix) sugarcane juices was studied at the temperature range from 277K to 373K, using a cone-and-plate viscometer. These fluids were found to present a Newtonian behavior and their flow curves were well-fitted by the viscosity Newtonian model. Viscosity values lied within the range 5.0×10 -3Pas to 0.04×10 -3Pas in the considered temperature interval. The dependence of the viscosity on the temperature was also successfully modeled through an Arrhenius-type equation. In addition to the dynamic viscosity, experimental values of pressure loss in tube flow were used to calculate friction factors. The good agreement between predicted and measured values confirmed the reliability of the proposed equations for describing the flow behavior of the clarified and untreated sugarcane juices. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Morphological alterations on human radicular dentin after exposure to different fruit juice drinks

Purpose: This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effect of different fruit juice drinks available in the Brazilian market on smear layer removal and dentinal tubules opening, as well as to verify the effect of toothbrushing subsequently to the juices exposure. Methods: Dentin specimens were prepared and randomly distributed into the control group (distilled water) and twelve types of fruit juice drinks (cashew, orange, mandarin, apple, passion fruit, guava, strawberry, grape, mango, pear, peach, pineapple). The following treatments were applied: immersion or immersion + brushing. After preparation for SEM, photomicrographs were assessed using an index of smear layer removal. Results: No significant differences regarding smear layer removal and dentinal tubules exposure could be observed between the groups after both treatments (Kruskal-Wallis, post-hoc paired comparisons, P>0.05). The control solution and the fruit juice drinks were not able to remove smear layer and to open dentinal tubules. Significant difference between the applied treatments was detected only for the mango juice group (Mann-Whitney, P<0.05). Conclusion: Under the experimental conditions, the different fruit juice drinks did not promote significant alterations on human radicular dentin morphology regardless of the subsequent application of brushing procedures. Copyright: © 2011 Zandim et al.

El problema de la carne en América Latina = The meat problem in Latin America

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Polymorphisms in FGFBP1 and FGFBP2 genes associated with carcass and meat quality traits in chickens

In the past, the focus of broiler breeding programs on yield and carcass traits improvement led to problems related to meat quality. Awareness of public concern for quality resulted in inclusion of meat quality traits in the evaluation process. Nevertheless, few genes associated with meat quality attributes are known. Previous studies mapped quantitative trait loci for weight at 35 and 42 days in a region of GGA4 flanked by the microsatellite markers, MCW0240 and LEI0063. In this region, there are 2 fibroblast growth factor binding protein (FGFBP) genes that play an important role in embryogenesis, cellulardifferentiation, and proliferation in chickens. The objective of this study was to identify and associate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FGFBP1 and FGFBP2 with performance, carcass, and meat quality in experimental and commercial chicken populations. In the commercial population, SNP g.2014G>A in FGFBP1 was associated with decreased carcass weight (P < 0.05), and SNP g.651G>A in FGFBP2 was associated with thawing loss and meat redness content (P < 0.05). Four haplotypes were constructed based on 2 SNPs and were associated with breast weight, thawing loss, and meat redness content. The diplotypes were associated with thawing loss, lightness, and redness content. The SNPs evaluated in the present study may be used as markers in poultry breeding programs to aid in improving growth and meat quality traits. © FUNPEC-RP.

Meat quality of young Nellore bulls with low and high residual feed intake

Fifty-nine Nellore bulls from low and high residual feed intake (RFI) levels were studied with the objective of evaluating meat quality traits. Animals were slaughtered when ultrasound-measured backfat thickness reached 4. mm, and samples of Longissimus were collected. A mixed model including RFI as fixed effect and herd and diet as random effects was used, and least square means were compared by t-test. More efficient animals consumed 0.730. kg dry matter/day less than less efficient animals, with similar performance. No significant differences in carcass weight, prime meat cuts proportion, chemical composition, pH, sarcomere length, or color were observed between RFI groups. Shear force, myofibrillar fragmentation index and soluble collagen content were influenced by RFI, with a higher shear force and soluble collagen content and a lower fragmentation index in low RFI animals. Feedlot-finished low RFI young Nellore bulls more efficiently convert feed into meat, presenting carcasses within quality standards. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Carcass and meat quality traits of rabbits under heat stress

Rabbits are very sensitive to heat stress because they have difficulty eliminating excess body heat. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of heat stress on slaughter weight, dressing percentage and carcass and meat quality traits of rabbits from two genetic groups. Ninety-six weaned rabbits were used: half were from the Botucatu genetic group and half were crossbreds between New Zealand White sires and Botucatu does. They were assigned to a completely randomized design in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (two genetic groups and three ambient temperatures: 18°C, 25°C and 30°C) and kept under controlled conditions in three environmental chambers from 5 to 10 weeks of age. Slaughter took place at 10 weeks, on 2 consecutive days. Meat quality measurements were made in the longissimus muscle. Actual average ambient temperature and relative humidity in the three chambers were 18.4°C and 63.9%, 24.4°C and 80.2% and 29.6°C and 75.9%, respectively. Purebred rabbits were heavier at slaughter and had heavier commercial and reference carcasses than crossbreds at 30°C; however, no differences between genetic groups for these traits were found at lower temperatures. No genetic group × ambient temperature interaction was detected for any other carcass or meat quality traits. The percentages of distal parts of legs, skin and carcass forepart were higher in crossbred rabbits, indicating a lower degree of maturity at slaughter in this group. The percentage of thoracic viscera was higher in the purebreds. Lightness of the longissimus muscle was higher in the purebreds, whereas redness was higher in the crossbreds. Slaughter, commercial and reference carcass weights and the percentages of thoracic viscera, liver and kidneys were negatively related with ambient temperature. Commercial and reference carcass yields, and the percentage of distal parts of legs, on the other hand, had a positive linear relationship with ambient temperature. Meat redness and yellowness diminished as ambient temperature increased, whereas cooking loss was linearly elevated with ambient temperature. Meat color traits revealed paler meat in the purebreds, but no differences in instrumental texture properties and water-holding capacity between genetic groups. Purebred rabbits were less susceptible to heat stress than the crossbreds. Heat stress resulted in lower slaughter and carcass weights and proportional reductions of organ weights, which contributed to a higher carcass yield. Moreover, it exerted a small, but negative, effect on meat quality traits. © 2012 The Animal Consortium.

Expression of genes related to quality of Longissimus dorsi muscle meat in Nellore (Bos indicus) and Canchim (5/8 Bos taurus×3/8 Bos indicus) cattle

This study was performed to compare CAPN1, CAPN2, CAST, TG, DGAT1 and LEP gene expressions and correlate them with meat quality traits in two genetic groups (Nellore and Canchim) in order to assess their expression profile and use their expression profile as genetic markers. We analyzed 30 young bulls (1. year old), 15 of each genetic group. Samples of the Longissimus dorsi muscle were collected for analysis of: total lipids (TL) and meat tenderness measured as Warner-Bratzler shear force (SF) and myofibrillar fragmentation (MFI) at day of slaughter and 7. days of aging. Gene expression profiles were obtained via RT-qPCR. TL and MFI showed differences between breeds, higher MFI in Canchim and higher TL in Nellore. Calpains showed no differential expression between groups, as did DGAT1, TG, and LEP. CAST was expressed more in the Nellore cattle. The only significant within-breed correlation (0.79) between gene expression and meat traits was found for DGAT1 and MFI in Canchim breed. Although the number of animals used in this study was small, the results indicate that the increased expression of CAST in Nellore may reflect tougher meat, but the lack of correlations with the meat traits indicates it is not a promising genetic marker. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Consumer interpretation of ready to drink orange juice and nectar labelling

The aim of this study was to evaluate consumers' use and interpretation of ready to drink orange juice and nectar label information and its influence on the purchase decision. One hundred and sixty-seven consumers of ready to drink orange juice and nectar were interviewed. The labels were analysed to evaluate their conformance to Brazilian legislation. The manufacturing and shelf life date were the information most often checked, followed by health related issues. Brand, price and flavour were the most important factors for purchase decision. Brand and flavour showed significant association with consumer age. For most interviewed, 'nectar', 'whole' and 'natural' or '100% natural' were not well understood; they were not in accordance with the Brazilian legislation. 'Nectar', 'whole' and 'natural' or '100% natural' received a positive interpretation, whereas 'reconstituted juice' was considered a negative expression. Nevertheless, none of the labels completely conformed to the specific nutritional labelling legislation. © 2013 Institute of Food Science and Technology.

Optimization of the surimi production from Mechanically Recovered Fish Meat (MRFM) using response surface methodology

The by-products generated from industrial filleting of tilapia surimi can be used for the manufacture of surimi. The surimi production uses large amounts of water, which generates a wastewater rich in organic compounds (lipids, soluble proteins and blood). Optimizing the number of washing cycles will contribute to a more sustainable production. A mathematical model of mechanically recovered tilapia meat (Oreochromis niloticus) for the processing of surimi (minced fish washing cycles and tapioca starch addition) based on two quality parameters (texture and moisture) was constructed by applying the response surface methodology (RSM). Each factor had an important effect on the moisture and texture of surimi. This study found that the optimal formulation for producing the best surimi using the by-products of tilapia filleting in manufacturing fish burger were the addition of 10% tapioca starch and three minced fish washing cycles. A microstructural evaluation supported the findings of the mathematical model. Practical Applications: The use of mechanically recovered fish meat (MRFM) for the production of surimi enables the utilization of the by-products of filleting fish. However, the inferior quality of the surimi produced from MRFM in relation to that produced with fillets necessitates the addition of starch; secondly, surimi production consumes a large volume of water. RSM provides a valuable means for optimizing the number of washing cycles and starch amounts utilized in fish burger production. Tapioca starch, widely produced in Brazil, has desirable characteristics (surface sheen, smooth texture, neutral taste and clarity in solution) for use in MRFM-produced surimi. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.