Marination with natural curing ingredients, storage time, and serving temperature effects on the sensory characteristics of forage-finished or commercially-sourced beef roasts

Natural Extracts as Inhibitors of Microorganisms and Lipid Oxidation in Emulsion Sausage during Storage

Food additives are required to maintain the freshness and quality of foods, particularly meats. However, chemical additives may not be preferred by consumers, and natural materials with antimicrobial and antioxidant effects may be used as replacements for common chemical additives. Accordingly, in this study, we compared the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of natural compounds extracted with ethanol and hot water, and emulsion sausage prepared with natural ethanol extracts was analyzed for pH, color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and Clostridium perfringens growth during storage. The antimicrobial activities of 49 natural extract candidates against Listeria monocytogenes, C. perfringens, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli were analyzed, and six natural materials with excellent antibacterial activities, i.e., Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. f. nakaiana (Araki) H. Ohba, Punica granatum L., Ecklonia cava, Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner, and Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., and Rubus coreanus Miq. were evaluated to determine their total polyphenol contents and DPPH radical scavenging activities. The total polyphenol contents of ethanol extracts were higher than those of hot water extracts, whereas DPPH radical scavenging activity was found to be higher in hot water extracts. The TBARS values of emulsion sausages were significantly increased as storage time increased, and the TBARS values of emulsion sausages prepared with natural extracts were lower than those of control sausages. Natural extract-treated emulsion sausages showed a 99% reduction in bacterial contents compared with untreated sausages on day 2, with greater than 99.9% reduction after day 3. Thus, these results demonstrated that natural extracts could have applications as natural preservatives in meat products.

Chemistry, safety, and regulatory considerations in the use of nitrite and nitrate from natural origin in meat products - Invited review

Nitrite and nitrate have been traditionally used for the preservation of meat products because of the effective antimicrobial action of nitrite against Clostridium botulinum, the outgrowth of its spores as well as other bacteria. However, the use of nitrite and nitrate has been questioned in last half century due to the possible generation of N-nitrosamines through reaction of nitrite with secondary amines. Nitrite replacement strategies began in the 70s addressing these issues and instigated searches for natural alternatives to nitrate and nitrite, or for natural sources of nitrite and nitrate such as vegetable extracts. These alternatives have been considered by producers and consumers as an attractive practice even though they may also have some risks. This manuscript reviews and discusses the chemistry, safety, and regulatory considerations in the use of nitrite and nitrate from natural origin for the preservation of meat products.

Beef quality of different portions of the biceps femoris muscle in Bos indicus cattle improved by tumbling with brine

The effect of tumbling with brines on different portions of the biceps femoris muscle was evaluated for the quality of beef from cattle older than 30 mo. Six biceps femoris muscles were divided into portions: origin (OP), insertion 1(IP1), and insertion 2 (IP2). The portions were sliced into steaks and were treated with no tumbling (control), tumbling with brine (BR), and tumbling with brine and hydrolyzed soy protein (BR+HSP). The steaks were vacuum packaged and stored for 1 and 12 d and then analyzed for pH, yield, color, cooking loss, and shear force. The control steaks from the OP had higher (P < 0.05) pH and shear force values and lower (P < 0.05) L* values than the control steaks from IP2. The pH and a* and b* values increased (P < 0.05) and the L* values and cooking loss decreased (P < 0.05) when the steaks were tumbled with BR and BR+HSP. Overall, substantial variation was found for the variables among the different portions of the biceps femoris muscle. Based on the lower lightness (low exudation) and greater yellow and red intensity (less oxidation) of the meat, the tumbling with brines improved the meat quality. However, the hydrolyzed soy protein incorporated into the brine did not increase the effect compared with using the brine alone for most of the variables.