EFFECT OF GAMMA IRRADIATION ON SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF SHELL EGGS AND MAYONNAISE PREPARED FROM IRRADIATED EGGS

Reducing microbial contamination risk and improving physical properties of plant-based mayonnaise produced using chickpea aquafaba

Aquafaba is obtained by soaking different types of legumes, and utilised in the production of several plant-based foods due to its functional properties. The present work aimed to evaluate the effects of aquafaba produced by soaking chickpeas at different durations, on the safety, physicochemical properties, and consumer acceptability of plant-based mayonnaise. The chickpea aquafaba was prepared by soaking chickpea at different durations of 12, 18, and 24 h, and later boiled for 35 min at 120°C. The results demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) higher TSS (5.89 ± 0.00), viscosity (7.23 ± 0.06), and peptide content (0.463 ± 0.001) in chickpea aquafaba soaked for 24 h. The mayonnaise prepared with 24 h chickpea aquafaba showed improved firmness (129.47 ± 9.64 g) and consistency (860.26 ± 26.52 g/s). The bacterial load was observed to decrease in 24 h chickpea aquafaba mayonnaise (3.857 ± 0.948 log CFU/g), and increased by one-fold in 12 h chickpea aquafaba mayonnaise (4.672 ± 0.588 log CFU/g) after 35 days at 28 ± 2°C. The consumer acceptability evaluation showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) among all the tested attributes with the 24 h aquafaba mayonnaise received the highest score for taste (6.80 ± 1.38). The aquafaba produced from chickpeas soaked for 24 h and boiled for 35 min has high potential for applications in plant-based mayonnaise production to enhance safety and improve physicochemical and consumer acceptability.

Challenges and approaches for production of a healthy and functional mayonnaise sauce

Mayonnaise is a semisolid oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion which is made through the careful blending of oil, vinegar, egg yolk, and spices (especially mustard). In addition, mayonnaise traditionally contains 70%-80% oil, and egg yolk is a key ingredient contributing to its stability. Despite concerns about high cholesterol level in egg yolk, it is yet the most widely utilized emulsifying agent owing to its high emulsifying capacity. Today, the public knowledge about diet and health has been incremented, compelling the people to consume foodstuffs containing functional features. Thus, consumers, aware of the considerable influence of the diet on their health, demand nutritious and healthier food. Mayonnaise is usually cited by health-related issues due to its high cholesterol and fat content. Many researchers have tried to replace fat, as well as egg yolk completely or partially; however, low-fat mayonnaises require extra ingredients to keep the stability. In other words, each ingredient plays a specific role in textural and oxidative stability, and using alternative emulsifiers and fat replacers may affect the sensorial, textural, and antioxidant features of mayonnaise. Furthermore, mayonnaise, like other high-fat foodstuffs, is vulnerable to auto-oxidation. In addition to using fat replacers, mayonnaise is accompanied with bioactive ingredients to produce a healthy system. Therefore in this review, we gathered a quick summary of the ideas, including lowering the cholesterol and fat and using natural antioxidants, prebiotics, and probiotics in order to produce a healthy and functional mayonnaise sauce.

Salmonella enteritidis in shell eggs: evolving concerns and innovative control measures

The issue of egg contamination with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis rose to prominence several decades ago with increasing rate of infection around the world. Recent outbreaks have assured that this problem maintains a place in the public consciousness. Extensive research has been conducted to investigate the factors precipitating contamination events, their avoidance, and mitigation of the threat of contaminated eggs; consequently, regulations have been put in place to increase the safety of shell eggs. Despite these measures, rate of illness remains significantly higher than projected goals. This chapter includes information regarding the contraction of Salmonella species by laying hens and the subsequent deposition of these cells in shell eggs. Particular attention will be given to the prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs and egg-containing products relative to other salmonellae. Research has been conducted to elucidate the mechanisms behind the fitness of Salmonella Enteritidis strains for this environment, but a consensus has yet to be reached. Novel methods of sanitizing shell eggs also are reviewed.

Effect of UV irradiation, sample thickness and storage temperature on storability, bacterial activity and functional properties of liquid egg

Effect of sample thickness, ultraviolet irradiation and storage temperature on bacterial activity, storability and functional properties (foamability and stability) of liquid egg were investigated. Eggs were contaminated with prepared Salmonella suspension 108/mL. Separated albumen and yolk samples were poured in three thicknesses (1, 2 and 3 mm) and irradiated at 3, 5 10, 15 min with ultraviolet radiation and were stored at 5, 15, 25, 37 °C for up to 8 days. Observations indicated that all ultraviolet irradiation times, reduced the total count of Salmonella bacteria in egg samples. Although, functional properties were improved, protein oxidation in both albumen and yolk increased. After the first 2 days of storage, total counts of Salmonella and protein oxidation of eggs decreased solely in the 5 °C treatment. It is concluded that irradiation treatment can be used to decrease bacterial contamination of liquid egg albeit not below the safe level for raw consumption. Furthermore, the best irradiation times to improve foam ability and stability were 10 and 5 min, respectively.

Effects of gamma irradiation on the viability and phenotypic characteristics of Salmonella Enteritidis inoculated into specific-pathogen-free eggs

The goal of this study was to determine the effects of various levels of gamma irradiation on the phenotypic characteristics of 20 strains of Salmonella Enteritidis inoculated separately into specific-pathogen-free shell eggs. Bacterial strains were inoculated into egg yolks and exposed to (60)Co radiation at doses of 0.49 to 5.0 kGy. The eggs were maintained at 25°C and analyzed for the presence of Salmonella on days 1, 2, 4, and 7, and the recovered Salmonella isolates were characterized biochemically. All strains were resistant to doses of 0.49, 0.54, 0.59, 0.8, and 1 kGy; colony counts were ≥10(5) CFU/ml of egg yolk except for one strain, which was detected at 96 h and at 7 days after irradiation at 1 kGy, with a population reduction of 2 log CFU/ml. For the other evaluated doses, 12 strains (60.0%) were resistant at 1.5 kGy and 7 strains (35.0%) were resistant at 3.0 kGy. Among all analyzed strains, 5.0 kGy was more effective for reducing and/or eliminating the inoculated bacteria; only two (10%) strains were resistant to this level of irradiation. Salmonella colony counts were significantly reduced (P < 0.01) with increasing doses from the day 1 to 7 of observation, when microbial growth peaked. Loss of mobility, lactose fermentation, citrate utilization, and hydrogen sulfide production occurred in some strains after irradiation independent of dose and postirradiation storage time. Increases in antibiotic susceptibility also occurred: seven strains became sensitive to β-lactams, two strains became sensitive to antifolates, and one strain each became sensitive to fluoroquinolone, phenicol, nitrofurans, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides. The results indicate that up to 5.0 kGy of radiation applied to shell eggs inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis at 4 log CFU per egg is not sufficient for complete elimination of this pathogen from this food matrix.