Microbiological properties of poultry breast meat treated with high-intensity ultrasound

A review of emerging applications of ultrasonication in Comparison with non-ionizing technologies for meat decontamination

Meat is highly susceptible to contamination with harmful microorganisms throughout the production, processing, and storage chain, posing a significant public health risk. Traditional decontamination methods like chemical sanitizers and heat treatments often compromise meat quality, generate harmful residues, and require high energy inputs. This necessitates the exploration of alternative non-ionizing technologies for ensuring meat safety and quality. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the latest advancements, limitations, and future prospects of non-ionizing technologies for meat decontamination, with a specific focus on ultrasonication. It further investigates the comparative advantages and disadvantages of ultrasonication against other prominent non-ionizing technologies such as microwaves, ultraviolet (UV) light, and pulsed light. Additionally, it explores the potential of integrating these technologies within a multi-hurdle strategy to achieve enhanced decontamination across the meat surface and within the matrix. While non-ionizing technologies have demonstrated promising results in reducing microbial populations while preserving meat quality attributes, challenges remain. These include optimizing processing parameters, addressing regulatory considerations, and ensuring cost-effectiveness for large-scale adoption. Combining these technologies with other methods like antimicrobial agents, packaging, and hurdle technology holds promise for further enhancing pathogen elimination while safeguarding meat quality.

Principles and Applications of Non-Thermal Technologies for Meat Decontamination

Meat contains high-value protein compounds that might degrade as a result of oxidation and microbial contamination. Additionally, various pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms can grow in meat. Moreover, contamination with pathogenic microorganisms above the infectious dose has caused foodborne illness outbreaks. To decrease the microbial population, traditional meat preservation methods such as thermal treatment and chemical disinfectants are used, but it may have limitations for the maintenance of meat quality or the consumers acceptance. Thus, non-thermal technologies (e.g., high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, non-thermal plasma, pulsed light, supercritical carbon dioxide technology, ozone, irradiation, ultraviolet light, and ultrasound) have emerged to improve the shelf life and meat safety. Non-thermal technologies are becoming increasingly important because of their advantages in maintaining low temperature, meat nutrition, and short processing time. Especially, pulsed light and pulsed electric field treatment induce few sensory and physiological changes in high fat and protein meat products, making them suitable for the application. Many research results showed that these non-thermal technologies may keep meat fresh and maintain heat-sensitive elements in meat products.

Ultrasound Technology as Inactivation Method for Foodborne Pathogens: A Review

An efficient microbiological decontamination protocol is required to guarantee safe food products for the final consumer to avoid foodborne illnesses. Ultrasound and non-thermal technology combinations represent innovative methods adopted by the food industry for food preservation and safety. Ultrasound power is commonly used with a frequency between 20 and 100 kHz to obtain an “exploit cavitation effect”. Microbial inactivation via ultrasound derives from cell wall damage, the oxidation of intracellular amino acids and DNA changing material. As an inactivation method, it is evaluated alone and combined with other non-thermal technologies. The evidence shows that ultrasound is an important green technology that has a good decontamination effect and can improve the shelf-life of products. This review aims to describe the applicability of ultrasound in the food industry focusing on microbiological decontamination, reducing bacterial alterations caused by food spoilage strains and relative foodborne intoxication/infection.

The Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Structural Changes in Beef Are Dependent on the Ultrasound System, Time, and One-Side Exposition

The effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) system (bath, 37 kHz and 90 W/cm2; or probe, 24 kHz and 400 W) and application time (25 or 50 min, one-side exposition) on the properties of bovine Longissimus lumborum after 7 d of storage at 4 °C was studied. The bath system significantly increased the lightness of the muscle, while other color parameters (a*, b*, hue, and chroma) were not different from the control. The water holding capacity and shear force decreased significantly (3.1-5% and 0.59-0.72 kgf, respectively) in sonicated meat independently of the system, favoring the tenderization of the muscle after storage. Microstructural changes observed in the HIU-exposed surface provided evidence of a higher area of interfibrillar spaces (1813 vs. 705 µm2 in the control), producing tenderization of the muscle, compared with the control. HIU significantly increased counts of total aerobic and coliform bacteria, especially after 50 min of ultrasonication. HIU also increased lactic acid bacterial counts in the bath system. Single-sided muscle exposition to ultrasound may produce sufficient significant changes in muscle properties, which could decrease long treatment times that would be needed for the exposition of both sides. HIU in bath systems increases tenderness by modifying meat ultrastructure, with no significant changes in physicochemical parameters. Nevertheless, microbiological quality may need to be considered during the process due to a slight increase in bacterial counts.

Novel Techniques for Microbiological Safety in Meat and Fish Industries

The consumer tendency towards convenient, minimally processed meat items has placed extreme pressure on processors to certify the safety of meat or meat products without compromising the quality of product and to meet consumer’s demand. This has prompted difficulties in creating and carrying out novel processing advancements, as the utilization of more up-to-date innovations may influence customer decisions and assessments of meat and meat products. Novel advances received by the fish and meat industries for controlling food-borne microbes of huge potential general wellbeing concern, gaps in the advancements, and the requirement for improving technologies that have been demonstrated to be effective in research settings or at the pilot scale shall be discussed. Novel preparing advancements in the meat industries warrant microbiological approval before being named as industrially suitable alternatives and authorizing infra-structural changes. This miniature review presents the novel techniques for the microbiological safety of meat products, including both thermal and non-thermal methods. These technologies are being successfully implemented and rationalized in subsisting processing surroundings.

Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Effect of Ultrasound and Mild Heat Against a Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Stain Isolated from Meat of Yellow-Feathered Chicken

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important foodborne pathogen with high biofilm-forming ability, which is continuously detected in food products in recent years. The antibacterial and antibiofilm activities and mechanism of ultrasonication in combination with heat treatment against K. pneumoniae were studied. K. pneumoniae planktonic and biofilm cells were treated with ultrasound (US), mild heat treatment (HT50, HT60, and HT70), and combinations of US and mild heat treatment (UH50, UH60, and UH70) for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 min. Results showed that the combination of US and mild heat treatment was more effective in inactivating K. pneumoniae planktonic and biofilm cells than the single treatment by counting viable bacteria. In addition, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and analysis of leakage of intracellular substances have revealed that the combination treatment effectively damaged the integrity of bacterial cell membrane and increased cell permeability, which led to the quick release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and macromolecular substances of nucleic acids and proteins. Moreover, the activities of respiratory chain dehydrogenase in planktonic and biofilm cells significantly decreased after UH treatment. The results indicated that ultrasonication and mild heat treatment had a synergistic effect on the inactivation of K. pneumoniae planktonic and biofilm cells by damaging the cell membrane and inhibiting intercellular cell respiration.

The combination of ultrasound and chlorogenic acid to inactivate Staphylococcus aureus under planktonic, biofilm, and food systems

This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of different treatments, namely, ultrasound (US), chlorogenic acid (CA), and ultrasound combined with chlorogenic acid (US plus CA) on the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus planktonic and biofilm cells. Results showed that the combined treatment of US and CA exhibited remarkable synergistic antibacterial and antibiofilm effects. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated that the combined treatment of US and CA caused the most serious damage to the cell morphology. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images revealed that the combined treatment led to sharp increase and severe damage to the permeability of the cell membrane, causing the release of ATP and nucleic acids and decreasing the exopolysaccharide contents in S. aureus biofilm. Finally, the combined treatment of US plus 1% CA for 60 min inactivated S. aureus cells by 1.13 lg CFU/g on mutton. Thus, the combined treatment of US and CA had synergistic effect against S. aureus under planktonic, biofilm, and food systems.

Combination of Natural Compounds With Novel Non-thermal Technologies for Poultry Products: A Review

Ensuring safe, fresh, and healthy food across the shelf life of a commodity is an ongoing challenge, with the driver to minimize chemical additives and their residues in the food processing chain. High-value fresh protein products such as poultry meat are very susceptible to spoilage due to oxidation and bacterial contamination. The combination of non-thermal processing interventions with nature-based alternatives is emerging as a useful tool for potential adoption for safe poultry meat products. Natural compounds are produced by living organisms that are extracted from nature and can be used as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and bioactive agents and are often employed for other existing purposes in food systems. Non-thermal technology interventions such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, ultrasound, irradiation, and cold plasma technology are gaining increasing importance due to the advantages of retaining low temperatures, nutrition profiles, and short treatment times. The non-thermal unit process can act as an initial obstacle promoting the reduction of microflora, while natural compounds can provide an active obstacle either in addition to processing or during storage time to maintain quality and inhibit and control growth of residual contaminants. This review presents the application of natural compounds along with emerging non-thermal technologies to address risks in fresh poultry meat.

The changing microbiome of poultry meat; from farm to fridge

Chickens play host to a diverse community of microorganisms which constitute the microflora of the live bird. Factors such as diet, genetics and immune system activity affect this complex population within the bird, while external influences including weather and exposure to other animals alter the development of the microbiome. Bacteria from these settings including Campylobacter and Salmonella play an important role in the quality and safety of end-products from these birds. Further steps, including washing and chilling, within the production cycle aim to control the proliferation of these microbes as well as those which cause product spoilage. These steps impose specific selective pressures upon the microflora of the meat product. Within the next decade, it is forecast that poultry meat, particularly chicken will become the most consumed meat globally. However, as poultry meat is a frequently cited reservoir of zoonotic disease, understanding the development of its microflora is key to controlling the proliferation of important spoilage and pathogenic bacterial groups present on the bird. Whilst several excellent reviews exist detailing the microbiome of poultry during primary production, others focus on fate of important poultry pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella spp. At farm and retail level, and yet others describe the evolution of spoilage microbes during spoilage. This review seeks to provide the poultry industry and research scientists unfamiliar with food technology process with a holistic overview of the key changes to the microflora of broiler chickens at each stage of the production and retail cycle.

Physical Methods for the Decontamination of Meat Surfaces

Purpose of Review

The market for minimally processed products is constantly growing due to consumer demand. Besides food safety and increased shelf life, nutritional value and sensory appearance also play a major role and have to be considered by the food processors. Therefore, the purpose of the review was to summarize recent knowledge about important alternative non-thermal physical technologies, including both those which are actually applied (e.g. high-pressure processing and irradiation) and those demonstrating a high potential for future application in raw meat decontamination (e.g. pulsed light UV-C and cold plasma treatment). The evaluation of the methods is carried out with respect to efficiency, preservation of food quality and consumer acceptance.

Recent Findings

It was evident that significantly higher bacterial reductions are achieved with gamma-ray, electron beam irradiation and high pressure, followed by pulsed light, UV-C and cold plasma, with ultrasound alone proving the least effective. As a limitation, it must be noted that sensory deviations may occur and that legal approvals may have to be applied for.

Summary

In summary, it can be concluded that physical methods have the potential to be used for decontamination of meat surfaces in addition to common hygiene measures. However, the aim of future research should be more focused on the combined use of different technologies to further increase the inactivation effects by keeping meat quality at the same time.

Efficacy of Ultrasonic-Assisted Curing Is Dependent on Muscle Size and Ultrasonication System

Ultrasound-assisted marinade is a promising technology for reducing the time of traditional immersion marination. This study evaluated the effect of the ultrasonic system (bath or probe, amplitude 50 or 100%) and muscle sample size (3 or 5 cm3) on physicochemical quality, yield (salt content, fresh weight, and relative fresh weight), and bacteria counts associated with pork. The results showed a significantly high salt (p < 0.0001) content in 3 cm3 (11.54%) and 5 cm3 (8.88%) samples after 24 h marination by immersion. The 3 cm3 cubes marinated in a 100% probe system for 20 min presented an amount of salt (9.55%) that was quite close to the controls. The 3 cm3 samples treated by immersion and in a 50% probe system gained more relative weight (in relation to the initial weight, 7.45 and 6.64%, respectively) after 7 d at 4 °C. Meanwhile the 5 cm3 cubes marinated by immersion gained 8.1%. The other treatments showed a weight loss after treatment. Although significant differences were found in the fresh weight and in water holding capacity (WHC) in the 3 and 5 cm3 meat samples, the relative fresh weight is a real measure of weight gain, more relevant for the industry. Thus, the samples with the highest salt transfer experienced a phenomenon of “dehydration”, retaining less water. The 3 and 5 cm3 cubes marinated by immersion presented orange color tones due to the long processing time, while the probe system produced redder and brighter tones. Ultrasound as a technology to assist in marinades is not efficient for bacteria control of mesophilic, psychrophilic, or coliform. However, a significant increase in lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts may bring benefits for meat preservation during refrigerated storage.

Ultrasound applications in poultry meat processing: A systematic review

Ultrasound (US) is classified as a nonthermal treatment and it is used in food processing at a frequency range between 20 kHz and 1 MHz. Cavitation bubbles occur when the US strength is high enough to generate rarefaction that exceeds the intermolecular attraction forces in the medium. Currently, US is widely used in meat industries to enhance procedures, such as meat tenderization, emulsification mass transfer, marination, freezing, homogenization, crystallization, drying, and microorganism inactivation. In addition, combining ultrasonic energy with a sanitizing agent has a synergistic effect on microbial reduction. When poultry meat is treated using US, the expected quality is often better than the traditional methods, such as sanitization and freezing. US can be considered as a novel green technology for tenderizing and decontamination of poultry meat since both Escherichia coli and Salmonella are sensible to US. US improves the physical and chemical properties of meat proteins and can lead to a decrease in the α-helix in intramuscular protease complex in addition to a reduction in the viscosity coefficients. Therefore, ultrasonic treatment can be applied to enhance the textural properties of chicken meat. US can also be used to improve the drying rate when used under vacuum, compared with other traditional techniques. This review focuses on the potential of US applications in the management of poultry industries as the demand for good quality meat proteins is increasing worldwide.

Recent nano-, micro- and macrotechnological applications of ultrasonication in food-based systems

There is a neoteric and rising demand for nutritional and functional foods which behooves food processors to adopt processing techniques with optimal conservation of bioactive components in foods and with minimal pernicious impacts on the environment. Ultrasonication, a mechanochemical technique has proven to be an efficacious panacea to these concerns. In this review, an analytic exploration of recent researches and designs regarding ultrasound methodology and equipment on diverse food systems, technological scales, procedural parameters and outcomes of such experimentations optimally scrutinized. The relative effects of ultrasonication on food formulations, components and attributes such as nanoemulsions, nanocapsules, proteins, micronutrients, sensory and mechanical characteristics are evaluatively delineated. In food systems where ultrasonication was employed, it was found to have a remarkable effect on one or more quality parameters. This review is a supplementation to the pedagogical awareness to scholars on the suitability of ultrasonication for research procedures, and a call to industrial food brands on the adoption of this technique for the development of foods with optimally sustained nutrient profiles.

Does ultrasound equally improve the quality of beef? An insight into longissimus lumborum, infraspinatus and cleidooccipitalis

Quality of bovine longissimus lumborum, infraspinatus and cleidooccipitalis muscles after high-intensity ultrasound (HIU; 40 kHz and a power of 11 W/cm² for 0, 40, 60, and 80 min) and aging (0, 7 and 14 d) was evaluated. The effects of HIU on pH and color of meat were not considered negative. HIU improved water holding capacity (WHC) of l.lumborum and infraspinatus only after aging. Whereas, the WHC of cleidooccipitalis increased immediately after sonication. The total collagen of HIU treated samples was significantly lower compared to the untreated samples. Ultrasonication for 80 min was the most effective for infraspinatus and cleidooccipitalis. Toughness decreased with HIU, iii nfraspinatus and l.lumborum tenderized more than cleidooccipitalis. HIU application and 7 d aging is an excellent combined treatment to improve tenderness of the three muscles. Infraspinatus was the most tender meat. HIU could help industry to improve the quality of beef as it helps in tenderization and accelerates maduration particularly of l.lumborum.