Effect of Antioxidants and Cooking on Stability of n-3 Fatty Acids in Fortified Meat Products

Hybrid Meat Products: Incorporation of White Bean Flour in Lean Pork Burgers

The effect of partial lean pork-meat replacement by white Phaseolus vulgaris L. flour in hybrid burgers was studied. A multivariate regression model was used to test different bean flour levels (BF: 8–15 g/100 g) and water/bean flour ratios (W/BF: 1.2, 1.6, and 1.8 g/g). Process yield, texture profile analysis, color parameters, thermal transitions, and microstructure of the systems were analyzed. Respond Surface Methodology was used to model the response behaviors and optimization. Burgers with BF showed yields higher than 88%. Hardness and cohesiveness decreased as the BF level increased, with a more noticeable effect when the W/BF ratio became larger. Regarding color, the higher the BF and the W/BF ratio in burgers, the higher the L* obtained. The desirability optimization predicted an optimum formulation consisting of 15 g BF/100 g and 1.36 g/g W/BF with similar attributes to a commercial pork burger. The thermal analysis showed an increase in the enthalpy associated with the myosin denaturation and the interactions between meat proteins and BF led to higher temperatures for the starch gelatinization and protein denaturation. The microstructure of BF burgers presented a more stable coarse gel matrix derived from coagulated meat proteins combined with the flour components. The mathematical procedure adequately predicted the hybrid burger quality attributes.

Health Benefits, Food Applications, and Sustainability of Microalgae-Derived N-3 PUFA

Today's consumers are increasingly aware of the beneficial effects of n-3 PUFA in preventing, delaying, and intervening various diseases, such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, depression, and many other ailments. The role of n-3 PUFA on aging and cognitive function is also one of the hot topics in basic research, product development, and clinical applications. For decades, n-3 PUFA, especially EPA and DHA, have been supplied by fish oil and seafood. With the continuous increase of global population, awareness about the health benefits of n-3 PUFA, and socioeconomic improvement worldwide, the supply chain is facing increasing challenges of insufficient production. In this regard, microalgae have been well considered as promising sources of n-3 PUFA oil to mitigate the supply shortages. The use of microalgae to produce n-3 PUFA-rich oils has been explored for over two decades and some species have already been used commercially to produce n-3 PUFA, in particular EPA- and/or DHA-rich oils. In addition to n-3 PUFA, microalgae biomass contains many other high value biomolecules, which can be used in food, dietary supplement, pharmaceutical ingredient, and feedstock. The present review covers the health benefits of n-3 PUFA, EPA, and DHA, with particular attention given to the various approaches attempted in the nutritional interventions using EPA and DHA alone or combined with other nutrients and bioactive compounds towards improved health conditions in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. It also covers the applications of microalgae n-3 PUFA in food and dietary supplement sectors and the economic and environmental sustainability of using microalgae as a platform for n-3 PUFA-rich oil production.

Physicochemical, Nutritional, Microbiological, and Sensory Qualities of Chicken Burgers Reformulated with Mediterranean Plant Ingredients and Health-Promoting Compounds

The quality of chicken burgers reformulated by the partial replacement of meat by Mediterranean plant ingredients and enriched with peculiar amounts of n-3 PUFAs, Mg, Fe, Se, and folic acid, was evaluated in comparison to conventional chicken burgers. Specifically, two types of burger were developed, namely the "Sicilian burger"-based on cherry tomato and rosemary-and the "Mediterranean burger"-with basil leaves and thyme essential oil-every recipe being differentially functionalized according to the nutritional requirements of consumers, such as children, pregnant women and elderly. Mediterranean ingredients were responsible for different pH, color, and cooking loss between conventional and functional burgers. Except for n-3 PUFAs resulting poorly fortified, the functionalization with Mg, Fe, Se, and vitamin B9 was successful in all products. Considering the target consumer categories, the daily consumption of the functional burger may assure an intake of Mg, Fe, and Se equal, respectively, to 37.31-59.90%, 17.76-46.81%, and 27.20-50.05%, and a cover of vitamin B9 of 31.98-48.31% of the relative population reference intakes. Fortified products kept a good microbiological quality during 5 days of refrigerated storage, and, according to the sensorial descriptive analysis and the hedonic test, they showed a higher acceptability than conventional burgers.

Physical and Oxidative Stability of Flaxseed Oil-in-Water Emulsions Fabricated from Sunflower Lecithins: Impact of Blending Lecithins with Different Phospholipid Profiles

There is great interest in the formulation of plant-based foods enriched with nutrients that promote health, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids. This study evaluated the impact of sunflower phospholipid type on the formation and stability of flaxseed oil-in-water emulsions. Two sunflower lecithins (Sunlipon 50 and 90) with different phosphatidylcholine (PC) levels (59 and 90%, respectively) were used in varying ratios to form emulsions. Emulsion droplet size, charge, appearance, microstructure, and oxidation were measured during storage at 55 °C in the dark. The physical and chemical stability increased as the PC content of the lecithin blends decreased. The oxidative stability of emulsions formulated using Sunlipon 50 was better than emulsions formulated using synthetic surfactants (SDS or Tween 20). The results are interpreted in terms of the impact of emulsifier type on the colloidal interactions between oil droplets and on the molecular interactions between pro-oxidants and oil droplet surfaces.

Production Strategies and Applications of Microbial Single Cell Oils

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the ω-3 and ω-6 class (e.g., α-linolenic acid, linoleic acid) are essential for maintaining biofunctions in mammalians like humans. Due to the fact that humans cannot synthesize these essential fatty acids, they must be taken up from different food sources. Classical sources for these fatty acids are porcine liver and fish oil. However, microbial lipids or single cell oils, produced by oleaginous microorganisms such as algae, fungi and bacteria, are a promising source as well. These single cell oils can be used for many valuable chemicals with applications not only for nutrition but also for fuels and are therefore an ideal basis for a bio-based economy. A crucial point for the establishment of microbial lipids utilization is the cost-effective production and purification of fuels or products of higher value. The fermentative production can be realized by submerged (SmF) or solid state fermentation (SSF). The yield and the composition of the obtained microbial lipids depend on the type of fermentation and the particular conditions (e.g., medium, pH-value, temperature, aeration, nitrogen source). From an economical point of view, waste or by-product streams can be used as cheap and renewable carbon and nitrogen sources. In general, downstream processing costs are one of the major obstacles to be solved for full economic efficiency of microbial lipids. For the extraction of lipids from microbial biomass cell disruption is most important, because efficiency of cell disruption directly influences subsequent downstream operations and overall extraction efficiencies. A multitude of cell disruption and lipid extraction methods are available, conventional as well as newly emerging methods, which will be described and discussed in terms of large scale applicability, their potential in a modern biorefinery and their influence on product quality. Furthermore, an overview is given about applications of microbial lipids or derived fatty acids with emphasis on food applications.

ω-3 in meat products: benefits and effects on lipid oxidative stability

Although ω-3 intake has been associated with numerous health benefits, its addition to certain food matrices, and in particular meat products, may involve various technological barriers influencing the final quality of the products. Lipid oxidation must be highlighted due to the modification of both the sensory characteristics and the shelf-life of meat products. In order to reduce the impact of chemical changes and promote oxidative stability, the use of natural antioxidants has gained ground owing to the health and safety advantages linked to its effectiveness at reducing lipid oxidation. Many natural compounds have also been successfully tested in animal feed, in order to protect the raw meat materials and reduce the risk of lipid oxidation in processed products. This review aims to address the challenges and advantages of the incorporation of ω-3 fatty acids in raw meat materials and processed meat products, and to describe the use of different compounds to enhance lipid oxidative stability. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Oil-in-water emulsions as a delivery system for n-3 fatty acids in meat products

The oxidative and physical stabilities of oil-in-water emulsions containing n-3 fatty acids (25 wt.% oil, 2.5 wt.% whey protein, pH 3.0 or pH 6.0), and their subsequent incorporation into meat products were investigated. The physical stability of fish oil emulsions was excellent and neither coalescence nor aggregation occurred during storage. Oxidative stability was better at pH 6.0 compared to pH 3.0 likely due to antioxidative continuous phase proteins. Incorporation of fish oil emulsions into pork sausages led to an increase in oxidation compared to sausages without the added fish oil emulsion. Confocal microscopy of pork sausages with fish oil emulsions revealed that droplets had coalesced in the meat matrix over time which may have contributed to the decreased oxidative stability. Results demonstrate that although interfacial engineering of n-3 fatty acids containing oil-in-water emulsions provides physical and oxidative stability of the base-emulsion, their incorporation into complex meat matrices is a non-trivial undertaking and products may incur changes in quality over time.

Nutritional and antioxidant properties of different brown and red Spanish edible seaweeds

This article reports a study of the nutritional composition, total dietary fiber (TDF), mineral contents, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, polyphenolic concentration and antioxidant activity of three Spanish seaweeds: two brown seaweeds (Himanthalia elongata and Undaria pinnatifida) and one red (Porphyra umbilicalis). TDF and ash were the most abundant components in the brown seaweeds, while TDF and protein were the main components in the red one. In all seaweeds, the lipid contents were very low but the polyunsaturated fatty acid contents were high. Although the red seaweed contained significantly (p < 0.05) more protein content than the brown ones, all three contained all the essential amino acids at levels comparable to FAO/WHO requirements. The brown seaweeds contained significantly more minerals than the red one; they are a rich source of K, Na, Ca and Mg and present a beneficial Na/K ratio. Himanthalia elongata displayed remarkably high polyphenolic content, endowing it with appreciable antioxidant activity. These seaweeds offer considerable potential as functional food ingredients due to components like dietary fiber, minerals and trace elements, protein and lipids, which produce many different kinds of biological activities, and also to their high antioxidant capacity.

Effect of dietary n-3 and n-6 PUFA on lipid composition of different tissues of German Holstein bulls and the fate of bioactive fatty acids during processing

The present study investigated the effects of dietary linolenic acid (ALA) versus linoleic acid (LA) on meat quality, fatty acid composition, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) activity in longissimus muscle (MLD) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of German Holstein bulls and the transfer of beneficial n-3 fatty acids into German corned beef sausages (GCB). Feeding LA- and ALA-enriched diets increased essential fatty acids in MLD and SAT. The ALA-supplemented diet decreased significantly the SCD activity in MLD and SAT, resulting in a reduced relative concentration of oleic acid in muscle. The relative proportion of CLAcis-9,trans-11 analyzed by HPLC was not different between groups in either tissue. GCB were produced by using the lean meat of bulls. Beef products of bulls fed the ALA-supplemented diet were rich in ALA and n-3 LC PUFA. Most importantly, there was no loss of n-3 fatty acids during processing under production conditions. Conclusively, the n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio was beneficially low.

Healthier meat products as functional foods

A promising approach to improving health care would be to produce a healthier food supply as a preventive health care strategy. The food supply could be improved by producing functional foods that have nutritional profiles that are healthier than conventional products. However, production of functional foods is not always easily accomplished since they must also taste good, be convenient and reasonably priced so that consumers will regularly purchase and use the products. Meats have great potential for delivering important nutrients such as fatty acids, minerals, dietary fiber, antioxidants and bioactive peptides into the diet. However, to produce successful products with these ingredients, technologies must be developed to increase their stability and decrease their flavor impact on muscle foods. In addition, many regulatory hurdles must be overcome for the commercial production of meats with added nutrients. These include redefinition of standard of identities and policies that allow front of the package nutritional claims. Without these regulatory changes, production of healthier meat products won't become a reality since these products would not have a competitive advantage over unfortified meats.

Composition and antioxidant capacity of low-salt meat emulsion model systems containing edible seaweeds

The study was designed to determine the influence of the addition of edible seaweeds, Sea Spaghetti (Himanthalia elongata), Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), and Nori (Porphyra umbilicalis), on fatty acid composition, amino acid profile, protein score, mineral content and antioxidant capacity in low-salt meat emulsion model systems. The addition of seaweeds caused an increase (P<0.05) in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a decrease (P<0.05) in the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. The thrombogenic index significantly decreased (P<0.05) in Nori and Wakame meat samples. Meat systems made with added seaweeds had lower (P<0.05) sodium contents than control samples. In general, addition of seaweeds to products increased (P<0.05) the concentrations of K, Ca, Mg and Mn. The presence of Nori caused an increase (P<0.05) in levels of serine, glycine, alanine, valine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and arginine, whereas Wakame and Sea Spaghetti produced no significant changes in amino acid profiles in the model systems. The inclusion of Sea Spaghetti increased the sulphur amino acid score by 20%. The added seaweeds supplied the meat samples with soluble polyphenolic compounds, which increased the antioxidant capacity of the systems. The polyphenol supply and antioxidant increase were greatest (P<0.05) in the samples containing Sea Spaghetti.

Emulsion-based delivery systems for lipophilic bioactive components

There is a pressing need for edible delivery systems to encapsulate, protect, and release bioactive lipids within the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. The fact that these delivery systems must be edible puts constraints on the type of ingredients and processing operations that can be used to create them. Emulsion technology is particularly suited for the design and fabrication of delivery systems for encapsulating bioactive lipids. This review provides a brief overview of the major bioactive lipids that need to be delivered within the food industry (for example, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, and phytosterols), highlighting the main challenges to their current incorporation into foods. We then provide an overview of a number of emulsion-based technologies that could be used as edible delivery systems by the food and other industries, including conventional emulsions, multiple emulsions, multilayer emulsions, solid lipid particles, and filled hydrogel particles. Each of these delivery systems could be produced from food-grade (GRAS) ingredients (for example, lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, surfactants, and minerals) using simple processing operations (for example, mixing, homogenizing, and thermal processing). For each type of delivery system, we describe its structure, preparation, advantages, limitations, and potential applications. This knowledge can be used to facilitate the selection of the most appropriate emulsion-based delivery system for specific applications.