Numerical simulation of heat transfer during meat ball cooking and microbial food safety enhancement

This study was conducted to apply the finite volume method (FVM) to solve the partial differential equation (PDE) governing the heat transfer process during meat cooking with convective surface conditions. For a one-dimensional, round-shaped food, such as meat balls, the domain may be divided into shells of equal thickness, with energy balance established for each adjacent shell using in the finite difference scheme (FDS) to construct a set of finite difference equations, which were then solved simultaneously using the FORTRAN language and the IVPAG subroutine of the International Mathematics and Statistics Library. The FDS is flexible for temperature-dependent physical properties of foods, such as thermal conductivity (k), specific heat (Cp ), thermal diffusivity (α), and boundary conditions, for example, surface heat transfer coefficient (h), to predict the dynamic temperature profiles in beef and chicken meat balls cooked in an oven. Once the FVM model was established and validated, it was used to simulate the dynamic temperature profiles during cooking, which were then used in combination with the general method to evaluate the thermal lethality of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. using D and z values in ground meats during cooking. The method can be applied to design cooking processes that effectively inactivate foodborne pathogens while maintaining the quality of cooked meats and evaluate the adequacy of a cooking process. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The temperature dependences of thermal conductivity (k) and thermal diffusivity (α) of raw ground beef and ground chicken meats were measured. These thermal properties were then used in numerical simulation to predict the dynamic heating temperature profile and thermal lethality of ground beef and chicken meat balls. The numerical simulation method may be used to optimize and evaluate thermal processes and ensure the inactivation of pathogens in meat products during cooking.

A review on the relation between grinding process and quality of ground meat

This review is providing an overview of the actual and past research in the field of ground meat. The forces that are acting in the meat grinder are well understood. The higher the forces that are acting on the meat while grinding, the stronger the disintegration of the meat cells after the process. These forces can be calculated as energy transfer in meat grinders using specific mechanical energy (SME). The amount of non-intact cells (ANIC) can be used to describe the extent of disintegrated cells. Different methods are available to rate the quality of ground meat, which is mainly influenced by the raw material and processing. Over the past decades of industrialization, the landscape of ground meat production has changed. However, the effects of the process adjustments on the quality of ground meat are not yet sufficiently described in the literature.

Advanced Red Meat Cooking Technologies and Their Effect on Engineering and Quality Properties: A Review

The aim of this review is to investigate the basic principles of red meat cooking technologies, including traditional and modern methods, and their effects on the physical, thermal, mechanical, sensory, and microbial characteristics of red meat. Cooking methods were categorized into two categories: traditional (cooking in the oven and frying) and modern (ohmic, sous vide, and microwave cooking). When red meat is subjected to high temperatures during food manufacturing, it undergoes changes in its engineering and quality attributes. The quality standards of meat products are associated with several attributes that are determined by food technologists and consumers based on their preferences. Cooking improves the palatability of meat in terms of tenderness, flavor, and juiciness, in addition to eliminating pathogenic microorganisms. The process of meat packaging is one of the important processes that extend the life span of meat and increase its shelf life due to non-exposure to oxygen during cooking and ease of handling without being exposed to microbial contamination. This review highlights the significance of meat cooking mathematical modeling in understanding heat and mass transfer phenomena, reducing costs, and maintaining meat quality. The critical overview considers various production aspects/quality and proposed methods, such as, but not limited to, hurdle technology, for the mass production of meat.

Effect of Potato Dietary Fiber on the Quality, Microstructure, and Thermal Stability of Chicken Patty

A total of 150 chicken patties containing different concentrations of potato dietary fiber (PDF) (0.0−4.0%) (30 for every treatment) with three replicates were used to access the influence of PDF on their quality, microstructure, and thermal stability. PDF improved the quality of chicken patty, including significantly inhibiting dimensional change and improving water- and fat-binding properties and textural properties (p < 0.05). Moreover, PDF promoted a more homogeneous and dense meat−protein network structure to be formed. The results of thermal stability showed that PDF did not affect the thermal denaturation of proteins (p > 0.05). The samples with PDF (<3.0%) did not have a significant negative effect on sensory properties of chicken patty; meanwhile, there were more abundant nutrients and a lower energy value in samples with PDF compared with the control. Therefore, PDF could be a promising ingredient to improve the properties of chicken patties, which was related to the amount of PDF added and performed best at 3.0% level.

Effect of ageing and MAP on quality of striploin from cattle of Holstein-Friesian breed

There have been determined the features of m. longissimus lumborum steaks from young cattle-for-fattening of Holstein-Friesian breed, Polish black-and-white variety. There were measured pH values, basic chemical composition and colour parameters. The meat was subjected to moist-ageing for 12 days and, next, stored in modified atmosphere for the following 10 days. The amount of heat loss in relation to the temperature of thermal processing was determined. Texture parameters were studied instrumentally and organoleptically. The studied muscles from young cattle-for-fattening characterised with proper and similar pH values. The average fat content was 4.37%. The surface colour of the studied dorsal muscle was relatively bright, the average value L*=37.97, and on the cross-section L*=32.97. The average value of the muscle surface's ‘redness’ was a*=18.98, whereas cross-section's a*=20.27. The amounts of heat leakages were rising along with the increase of temperature from 11.24 to 37.14%. Ageing and storing in MAP led to a significant decrease in the amounts of heat leakages. Ageing and storing in MAP had a significant influence on decreasing shear force and on increasing the organoleptic evaluation marks of the m. longissimus lumborum after thermal processing, which shows that the muscle may become culinary meat with features accepted by consumers.

Technological innovations or advancement in detecting frozen and thawed meat quality: A review

Frozen storage is one of the main storage methods for meat products. Freezing and thawing processes are important factors affecting the quality of stored foods. Deterioration of texture, denaturation of protein, decline of water holding capacity etc. are among the major quality issues during freezing that must be addressed. A number of advanced technologies are now available to detect the quality changes that can occur during freezing and/or thawing. This paper presents an overview of the techniques commonly used for the detection of meat product quality; these include: advanced microscopy, molecular sensory science and technology, nuclear magnetic resonance, hyperspectral technology, near infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy etc. These direct and indirect measurement techniques can characterize the quality of meat product from many different angles. The objective of this review is to provide an in-depth understanding of possible quality changes in meat products during freezing and thawing cycle so as to improve the quality of frozen and thawed meat products in industrial practice.

Impacts of Clarification Techniques on Sample Constituents and Pathogen Retention

Determination of the microbial content in foods is important, not only for safe consumption, but also for food quality, value, and yield. A variety of molecular techniques are currently available for both identification and quantification of microbial content within samples; however, their success is often contingent upon proper sample preparation when the subject of investigation is a complex mixture of components such as foods. Because of the importance of sample preparation, the present study employs a systematic approach to compare the effects of four different separation techniques (glass wool, 50 μm polypropylene filters, graphite felt, and continuous flow centrifugation (CFC)) on sample preparation. To define the physical effects associated with the use of these separation methods, a multifactorial analysis was performed where particle size and composition, both pre- and post- processing, were analyzed for four different food matrices including lean ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey and spinach. Retention of three important foodborne bacterial pathogens (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes) was also examined to evaluate the feasibility of the aforementioned methods to be utilized within the context of foodborne pathogen detection. Data from the multifactorial analysis not only delineated the particle size ranges but also defined the unique compositional profiles and quantified the bacterial retention. The three filtration membranes allowed for the passage of bacteria with minimal loss while CFC concentrated the inoculated bacteria. In addition, the deposition and therefore concentration of food matrix observed with CFC was considerably higher for meat samples relative to spinach. However, filtration with glass wool prior to CFC helped clarify meat samples, which led to considerably lower amounts of solids in the CFC vessel post processing and an increase in the recovery of the bacteria. Overall, by laying a framework for the deductive selection of sample preparation techniques, the results of the study can be applied to a range of applications where it would be beneficial to scientifically guide the pairing of the criteria associated with a downstream detection method with the most advantageous sample preparation techniques for complex matrices such as foods.

Developing an Effective Method to Determine the Heat Transfer Model in Fish Myofibrillar Protein Paste with Computer Simulation Considering the Phase Transition on Various Dimensions

Numerical simulation was performed to evaluate thermal patterns of Alaska pollock (AP) surimi paste depending on the dimension and the phase transition of sol to gel during conventional water bath cooking. AP surimi paste (76 and 80 % moisture) was molded into 2, 3.5, and 5 cm cubes and heated at 90 °C. Three simulation models were developed: using average thermal properties in the cooking temperature range from 20 to 90 °C (model A); the thermal properties at the average temperature of each dimension (model B); and the thermal properties including the phase transition region of each dimension (model C). Model A showed a relatively large deviation between the simulation and experiment. Model B reflected the effect of dimension on gelation and showed better fitness (maximum RMSE=5.01 °C). The highest fitness (maximum RMSE=1.67 °C) was observed with model C reflecting both dimension difference and a phase transition.

Optimizing the Combination of Smoking and Boiling on Quality of Korean Traditional Boiled Loin (M. longissimus dorsi)

The combined effects of smoking and boiling on the proximate composition, technological quality traits, shear force, and sensory characteristics of the Korean traditional boiled loin were studied. Cooking loss, processing loss, and shear force were lower in the smoked/boiled samples than those in the control (without smoking treatment) (p<0.05). The results showed that the boiled loin samples between the control and treatment did not differ significantly in protein, fat, or ash contents, or pH values (p>0.05). The treated samples had higher score for overall acceptability than the control (p<0.05). Thus, these results show that the Korean traditional boiled loin treated with smoking for 60 min before boiling had improved physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics.