Maintenance of Safety and Quality of Refrigerated Ready-to-Cook Seasoned Ground Beef Product (Meatball) by Combining Gamma Irradiation with Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Salmonella Behavior in Meat during Cool Storage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim of the present study was to investigate Salmonella behavior in meat stored in cool conditions (between 0 °C and 7.5 °C), by employing a systematic review and meta-analysis. The data were obtained from research articles published in SciELO, PubMed, the Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The results of the retrieved studies were obtained from meat (beef, chicken, pork, poultry, and turkey), fish, shellfish, and broth media samples The data were extracted as sample size (n), initial concentration (Xi), final concentration (Xf), standard deviation (SD), standard error (SE), and microbial behavior effects (reduction or growth). A meta-analysis was carried out using the metaphor package from R software. A total of 654 articles were initially retrieved. After applying the exclusion criteria, 83 articles were selected for the systematic review, and 61 of these were used for the meta-analysis. Most studies were conducted at 0 °C to 4.4 °C storage temperatures under normal atmosphere package conditions. Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, and a cocktail (strain mixture) were inoculated at 5.0 and 6.0 log CFU mL−1. Articles both with and without the addition of antimicrobial compounds were found. Salmonella concentration decreases were observed in most studies, estimated for all study combinations as −0.8429 ± 0.0931 log CFU g−1 (95% CI; −1.0254, −0.6604) (p < 0.001), varying for each subgroup analysis. According to this survey, Salmonella concentration decreases are frequent during cool storage, although concentration increases and no bacterial inactivation were observed in some studies.

Effect of Drying Methods and Processing Conditions on the Quality of Curcuma longa Powder

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a spice that has been used for a long time in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties and recently used in the food industry for its dyeing and flavoring properties. This work studied the effect of different drying methods (convection oven drying, fluidized bed drying, and traditional solar drying) on the quality of Curcuma longa powder. The effect of UV radiation on turmeric powder using different packaging materials (glass, aluminum foil bag, and low-density polyethylene bag), was also studied. Subsequently, the fluidized bed drying method was used to evaluate the effect of drying temperature. The results show that convection and fluidized bed drying had no significant impact on turmeric quality. However, solar drying degraded curcuminoids by 36.5% and the ORAC value decreased by 14%. Regarding the packaging materials, the aluminum bag prevented the deterioration of 14% of the curcuminoids for the powder exposed to UV radiation. Finally, the effect of temperature on fluidized bed drying was evaluated at 50–80 °C, finding that there were no significant differences in the curcuminoid content and antioxidant capacity of turmeric powder. This implies that the range of temperature used in this study is appropriate for drying this material using fluidized bed drying, producing a turmeric powder with a high content of bioactive compounds, when compared to convection oven and solar drying. Therefore, the turmeric powder obtained in this way can be used as an active ingredient in the formulation of different kinds of foods and supplements.

Trends in microbial control techniques for poultry products

Fresh poultry meat and poultry products are highly perishable foods and high potential sources of human infection due to the presence of several foodborne pathogens. Focusing on the microbial control of poultry products, the food industry generally implements numerous preventive measures based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management system certification together with technological steps, such as refrigeration coupled to modified atmosphere packaging that are able to control identified potential microbial hazards during food processing. However, in recent years, to meet the demand of consumers for minimally processed, high-quality, and additive-free foods, technologies are emerging associated with nonthermal microbial inactivation, such as high hydrostatic pressure, irradiation, and natural alternatives, such as biopreservation or the incorporation of natural preservatives in packaging materials. These technologies are discussed throughout this article, emphasizing their pros and cons regarding the control of poultry microbiota and their effects on poultry sensory properties. The discussion for each of the preservation techniques mentioned will be provided with as much detail as the data and studies provided in the literature for poultry meat and products allow. These new approaches, on their own, have proved to be effective against a wide range of microorganisms in poultry meat. However, since some of these emergent technologies still do not have full consumer's acceptability and, taking into consideration the hurdle technology concept for poultry processing, it is suggested that they will be used as combined treatments or, more frequently, in combination with modified atmosphere packaging.