Predicting the quality traits of white striped turkey breast by visible/near infra-red spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis

The Impact of Thyme and Oregano Essential Oils Dietary Supplementation on Broiler Health, Growth Performance, and Prevalence of Growth-Related Breast Muscle Abnormalities

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of thyme and oregano essential oils (as growth promotors), individually and in combination, on the health, growth performance, and prevalence of muscle abnormalities in broiler chickens. Six hundred day-old Cobb 500 hybrid chickens were randomized into four dietary treatment groups with three replicates each. Chicks in the control group (C) received a basal diet, while the experimental treatment groups received basal diets containing 350 mg/kg of thyme oil (T1), 350 mg/kg of oregano oil (T2), and 350 mg/kg of thyme and oregano oil (T3). Growth performance parameters were evaluated at 14, 28, and 42 days. The broilers in treatments T1 and T2 had significantly higher body weights than the control group. The feed conversion ratio was the lowest in chicks who received oregano oil, followed by those fed thyme oil. The overall prevalence of growth-related breast muscle abnormalities (including white striping and white striping combined with wooden breast) in groups receiving essential oils (T1, T2, and T3) was significantly higher than in the control group (C). The thyme and oregano oil diets showed no significant differences in antibody titers against Newcastle disease or interferon-γ (INF-γ) serum levels. In conclusion, thyme and oregano oils had a positive impact on the growth performance of broiler chickens but increased the incidence of growth-related breast muscle abnormalities.

Influence of slaughter age on the occurrence and quality characteristics of white striping and wooden muscle abnormalities

The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of white striping (WS), wooden breast (WB), and WS combined with WS/WB muscle abnormalities in broilers (Ross 500) at different slaughter ages (34, 41, and 48 d). In addition, the influence of these muscle abnormalities at different slaughter ages on quality characteristics (physical dimensions, pH, color index, and chemical composition) was studied. Overall occurrence of muscle abnormalities was 45%, 92%, and 100% at slaughter ages of 34, 41, and 48 d, respectively. It was found that about 39% from the occurrence of muscle abnormalities was not similar in the same bird (left and right fillets). Breast fillets affected by muscle abnormalities had significantly (p<0.05) higher weight than normal fillets. At slaughter age of 34 d, normal fillets had significantly higher L* (67.37 vs. 61.73 and 63.05, p<0.05), lower a* (3.25 vs. 4.87 and 5.18, p<0.05) and b* (4.02 vs. 5.20 and 5.99, p<0.05) than WS and WS combined with WB fillets; respectively. The changes in chemical composition due to muscle abnormalities were more significant at high slaughter age than at low slaughter age. In conclusion, the occurrence of muscle abnormalities was strongly influenced by slaughter age. Moreover, breast fillets affected by muscle abnormalities had different quality characteristics (proximate composition, color traits, and dimensions) in comparison to normal fillets.

Reliability of a White Striping Scoring System and Description of White Striping Prevalence in Purebred Turkey Lines

Simple Summary

A relatively recent issue in the turkey industry is white striping (presence of white striations on the surface of the breast fillets). This defect influences consumer acceptance and the nutritional value of the meat and, therefore, is of economic importance to the industry. This study is aimed to test the reliability of a white striping scoring system used by several observers and estimate the prevalence of this defect in modern turkeys. After a few training sessions, the scoring system was found to be moderately reliable within and between the six participating observers. We found that 88% of turkeys in the studied population had some degree of white striping, with most scores being of moderate-severe severity (Score 1 or 2). Furthermore, white striping severity was found to be associated with higher slaughter weight, breast weight, and breast meat yield. Future research is needed to evaluate the use of white striping information in turkey genetic selection programs, as a balanced approach is needed to avoid slowing gains in economically favorable traits, such as growth.

Abstract

To efficiently meet consumer demands for high-quality lean meat, turkeys are selected for increased meat yield, mainly by increasing breast muscle size and growth efficiency. Over time, this has altered muscle morphology and development rates, which are believed to contribute to the prevalence of myopathies. White striping is a myopathy of economic importance which presents as varying degrees of white striations on the surface of skinless breast muscle and can negatively affect consumer acceptance at the point of sale. Breeding for improved meat quality may be a novel strategy for mitigating the development of white striping in turkey meat; however, it is crucial to have a reliable assessment tool before it can be considered as a phenotype. Six observers used a four-category scoring system (0–3) to score severity in several controlled rounds and evaluate intra- and inter-observer reliability of the scoring system. After sufficient inter-observer reliability (Kendall’s W > 0.6) was achieved, 12,321 turkey breasts, from four different purebred lines, were scored to assess prevalence of the condition and analyze its relationship with important growth traits. Overall, the prevalence of white striping (Score > 0) was approximately 88% across all genetic lines studied, with most scores being of moderate-severe severity (Score 1 or 2). As was expected, increased white striping severity was associated with higher slaughter weight, breast weight, and breast meat yield (BMY) within each genetic line. This study highlights the importance of training to improve the reliability of a scoring system for white striping in turkeys and was required to provide an updated account on white striping prevalence in modern turkeys. Furthermore, we showed that white striping is an important breast muscle myopathy in turkeys linked to heavily selected traits such as body weight and BMY. White striping should be investigated further as a novel phenotype in future domestic turkey selection through use of a balanced selection index.

Electronic Nose for Differentiation and Quantification of Yeast Species in White Fresh Soft Cheese

Detection of food spoilage with simple and fast methods is an important issue in food security and safety. The present study is mainly aimed at identifying and quantifying four yeast species in white fresh soft cheese using an electronic nose (EN). The yeast species Pichia anomala, Pichia kluyveri, Hanseniaspora uvarum, and Debaryomyces hansenii were used. Six concentrations of each yeast species (100, 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 cells/g cheese) were inoculated in 100 g of fresh soft cheese and incubated for 48 h at 25°C. The EN was used to identify and quantify different yeast species in cheese samples. It was found that EN was able to discriminate between four yeast species using principal component analysis (PCA). Moreover, EN was able to quantify in good precision three (Pichia anomala, Pichia kluyveri, and Debaryomyces hansenii) of the four tested yeasts presented in cheese samples using partial least squares (PLS) models. It seems that EN is a reliable tool that can be used as a fast technique to identify and quantify cheese spoilage in the cheese industry.

Non-Destructive Quality Measurement for Three Varieties of Tomato Using VIS/NIR Spectroscopy

The non-destructive visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) spectroscopy is a promising technique in determining the quality of agricultural commodities. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the ability of VIS/NIR spectroscopy (550–1100 nm) to distinguish between three different varieties of tomato (i.e., Ekram, Harver and Izmer), as well as to predict the quality parameters of tomato, such as soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), taste (SSC/TA) and firmness. Ninety intact samples from three tomato varieties were used. These samples were examined using VIS/NIR spectroscopy and quality parameters were also measured using traditional methods. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) were carried out. The results of PCA showed the ability of VIS/NIR spectroscopy to distinguish between the three varieties, where two PCs explained about 99% of the total variance in both calibration and validation sets. Moreover, PLS showed the possibility of modelling quality parameters. The correlation coefficient (R2) and the ratio of performance deviation (RPD) for all quality parameters (except for firmness) were found to be higher than 0.85 and 2.5, respectively. Thus, these results indicate that the VIS/NIR spectroscopy can be used to discriminate between different varieties of tomato and predict their quality parameters.