Effect of a nano-silver coating on the quality of fresh turkey meat during storage after modified atmosphere or vacuum packaging

Discriminant canonical analysis as a tool for genotype traceability testing based on turkey meat and carcass traits

The present study aims to develop a statistical tool for turkey breed traceability testing based on meat and carcass quality characteristics. To this end, a comprehensive meta-analysis was performed, collecting data from a total of 75 studies approaching meat and carcass attributes of 37 turkey strains and landraces since the late 1960s. A total of 22 meat and carcass traits were considered variables, grouped in the following clusters: carcass dressing traits, muscle fiber properties, pH, colorimetry, water-capacity traits, texture-related attributes, and nutritional composition of the meat. Once the multicollinearity analysis allowed the deletion of redundant variables, cold carcass weight, slaughter weight, muscle fiber diameter, sex-female, carcass/piece weight, meat redness, ashes, pH24, meat lightness, moisture, fat, and water-holding capacity showed explanatory properties in the discriminating analysis (p < 0.05). In addition, strong positive and negative correlations were found among those variables studied. Carcass traits were positively associated, particularly slaughter weight and cold carcass weight (+0.561). Among meat physical traits, pH showed positive correlations with drip loss (+0.490) and pH24 (+0.327), and water-holding capacity was positively associated with cholesterol (+0.434) and negatively associated with collagen (-0.398). According to nutritional traits, fat and ash showed a strong correlation (+0.595), and both were negatively associated with moisture (-0.375 and -0.498, respectively). Strong negative correlations were found as well between meat protein and fat (-0.460) and between collagen and cholesterol (-0.654). Finally, the Mahalanobis distance suggested a clustering pattern based on meat and carcass characteristics that report information about interbreeding and variety proximity. This study establishes a departure point in the development of a tool for breed traceability guaranteeing aimed at enhancing distinguished, local breed-based turkey meat.

Study of Meat and Carcass Quality-Related Traits in Turkey Populations through Discriminant Canonical Analysis

The present research aimed to determine the main differences in meat and carcass quality traits among turkey genotypes worldwide and describe the clustering patterns through the use of a discriminant canonical analysis (DCA). To achieve this goal, a comprehensive meta-analysis of 75 documents discussing carcass and meat characteristics in the turkey species was performed. Meat and carcass attributes of nine different turkey populations were collected and grouped in terms of the following clusters: carcass dressing traits, muscle fiber properties, pH, color-related traits, water-retaining characteristics, texture-related traits, and meat chemical composition. The Bayesian ANOVA analysis reported that the majority of variables statistically differed (p < 0.05), and the multicollinearity analysis revealed the absence of redundancy problems among variables (VIF < 5). The DCA reported that cold carcass weight, slaughter weight, sex-male, carcass/piece weight, and the protein and fat composition of meat were the traits explaining variability among different turkey genotypes (Wilks' lambda: 0.488, 0.590, 0.905, 0.906, 0.937, and 0.944, respectively). The combination of traits in the first three dimensions explained 94.93% variability among groups. Mahalanobis distances cladogram-grouped populations following a cluster pattern and suggest its applicability as indicative of a turkey genotype's traceability.

A Review on Antimicrobial Packaging for Extending the Shelf Life of Food

Food packaging systems are continually impacted by the growing demand for minimally processed foods, changing eating habits, and food safety risks. Minimally processed foods are prone to the growth of harmful microbes, compromising quality and safety. As a result, the need for improved food shelf life and protection against foodborne diseases alongside consumer preference for minimally processed foods with no or lesser synthetic additives foster the development of innovative technologies such as antimicrobial packaging. It is a form of active packaging that can release antimicrobial substances to suppress the activities of specific microorganisms, thereby improving food quality and safety during long-term storage. However, antimicrobial packaging continues to be a very challenging technology. This study highlights antimicrobial packaging concepts, providing different antimicrobial substances used in food packaging. We review various types of antimicrobial systems. Emphasis is given to the effectiveness of antimicrobial packaging in various food applications, including fresh and minimally processed fruit and vegetables and meat and dairy products. For the development of antimicrobial packaging, several approaches have been used, including the use of antimicrobial sachets inside packaging, packaging films, and coatings incorporating active antimicrobial agents. Due to their antimicrobial activity and capacity to extend food shelf life, regulate or inhibit the growth of microorganisms and ultimately reduce the potential risk of health hazards, natural antimicrobial agents are gaining significant importance and attention in developing antimicrobial packaging systems. Selecting the best antimicrobial packaging system for a particular product depends on its nature, desired shelf life, storage requirements, and legal considerations. The current review is expected to contribute to research on the potential of antimicrobial packaging to extend the shelf life of food and also serves as a good reference for food innovation information.

Application of intelligent packaging for meat products: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Today, in response to consumer demand and market trends, the development of new packaging with better performance such as intelligent packaging has become more important. This packaging system is able to perform intelligent functions to increase shelf life, increase safety and improve product quality.

OBJECTIVES

Recently, various types of packaging systems are available for meat products, especially cooked, fresh and processed meats. But because meat products are very perishable, monitoring their quality and safety in the supply chain is very important. This systematic article briefly reviews some of the recent data about the application of intelligent packaging in meat products.

METHODS

The search was conducted in Google Scholar, Science Direct, Elsevier, Springer, Scopus, and PubMed, from April 1996 to April 2021 using a different combination of the following keyword: intelligent packaging, and meat.

RESULTS

The results showed that the intelligent packaging presents several benefits compared to traditional packaging (e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, and shelf life extension) at the industrial processing level. Thus, these systems have been applied to improve the shelf life and textural properties of meat and meat products.

CONCLUSIONS

It is necessary to control the number of intelligent compounds that are included in the packaging as they clearly influence the quality and nutritional properties as well as the final cost of the food products.

Recent insights into carrageenan-based bio-nanocomposite polymers in food applications: A review

Nanotechnology has proven as progressive technology that enables to contribute, develop several effective and sustainable changes in food products. Incorporating nanomaterials like TiO₂, SiO₂, Halloysite nano clay, Copper sulfide, Bentonite nano clay, in carrageenan to develop innovative packaging materials with augmented mechanical and antimicrobial properties along with moisture and gas barrier properties that can produce safe and healthy foods. Intervention of carrageenan-based bio-nanocomposites as food packaging constituents has shown promising results in increasing the shelf stability and food quality by arresting the microbial growth. Nanomaterials can be incorporated within the carrageenan for developing active packaging systems for continuous protection of food products under different storage environments from farm to the fork to ensure quality and safety of foods. Carrageenan based bio nanocomposite packaging materials can be helpful to reduce the environmental concerns due to their high biodegradability index. This review gives insight about the current trends in the applications of carrageenan-based bio nanocomposites for different food packaging applications.

Nanotechnology as a Processing and Packaging Tool to Improve Meat Quality and Safety

Nanoparticles are gaining momentum as a smart tool towards a safer, more cost-effective and sustainable food chain. This study aimed to provide an overview of the potential uses, preparation, properties, and applications of nanoparticles to process and preserve fresh meat and processed meat products. Nanoparticles can be used to reinforce the packaging material resulting in the improvement of sensory, functional, and nutritional aspects of meat and processed meat products. Further, these particles can be used in smart packaging as biosensors to extend the shelf-life of fresh and processed meat products and also to monitor the final quality of these products during the storage period. Nanoparticles are included in product formulation as carriers of health-beneficial and/or functional ingredients. They showed great efficiency in encapsulating bioactive ingredients and preserving their properties to ensure their functionality (e.g., antioxidant and antimicrobial) in meat products. As a result, nanoparticles can efficiently contribute to ensuring product safety and quality whilst reducing wastage and costs. Nevertheless, a wider implementation of nanotechnology in meat industry is highly related to its economic value, consumers' acceptance, and the regulatory framework. Being a novel technology, concerns over the toxicity of nanoparticles are still controversial and therefore efficient analytical tools are deemed crucial for the identification and quantification of nanocomponents in meat products. Thus, migration studies about nanoparticles from the packaging into meat and meat products are still a concern as it has implications for human health associated with their toxicity. Moreover, focused economic evaluations for implementing nanoparticles in meat packaging are crucial since the current literature is still scarce and targeted studies are needed before further industrial applications.

Effective pretreatment technologies for fresh foods aimed for use in central kitchen processing

The central kitchen concept is a new trend in the food industry, where centralized preparation and processing of fresh foods and the distribution of finished or semi-finished products to catering chains or related units take place. Fresh foods processed by a central kitchen mainly include fruit and vegetables, meat, aquatic products, and edible fungi; these foods have high water activities and thermal sensitivities and must be processed with care. Appropriate pretreatments are generally required for these food materials; typical pretreatment processes include cleaning, enzyme inactivation, and disinfection, as well as packaging and coating. To improve the working efficiency of a central kitchen, novel efficient pretreatment technologies are needed. This article systematically reviews various high-efficiency pretreatment technologies for fresh foods. These include ultrasonic cleaning technologies, physical-field enzyme inactivation technologies, non-thermal disinfection technologies, and modified-atmosphere packagings and coatings. Mechanisms, applications, influencing factors, and advantages and disadvantages of these technologies, which can be used in a central kitchen, are outlined and discussed. Possible solutions to problems related to central-kitchen food processing are addressed, including low cleaning efficiency and automation feasibility, high nutrition loss, high energy consumption, and short shelf life of products. These should lead us to the next step of fresh food processing for a highly demanding modern society. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Silver Nanoparticles against Foodborne Bacteria. Effects at Intestinal Level and Health Limitations

Foodborne diseases are one of the factors that endanger the health of consumers, especially in people at risk of exclusion and in developing countries. The continuing search for effective antimicrobials to be used in the food industry has resulted in the emergence of nanotechnology in this area. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are the nanomaterial with the best antimicrobial activity and therefore, with great potential of application in food processing and packing. However, possible health effects must be properly addressed to ensure food safety. This review presents a detailed description on the main applications of Ag-NPs as antimicrobial agents for food control, as well as the current legislation concerning these materials. Current knowledge about the impact of the dietary exposure to Ag-NPs in human health with special emphasis on the changes that nanoparticles undergo after passing through the gastrointestinal tract and how they alter the oral and gut microbiota, is also summarized. It is concluded that given their potential and wide properties against foodborne pathogens, research in Ag-NPs is of great interest but is not exempt from difficulties that must be resolved in order to certify the safety of their use.

Recent Developments in Food Packaging Based on Nanomaterials

The increasing demand for high food quality and safety, and concerns of environment sustainable development have been encouraging researchers in the food industry to exploit the robust and green biodegradable nanocomposites, which provide new opportunities and challenges for the development of nanomaterials in the food industry. This review paper aims at summarizing the recent three years of research findings on the new development of nanomaterials for food packaging. Two categories of nanomaterials (i.e., inorganic and organic) are included. The synthetic methods, physical and chemical properties, biological activity, and applications in food systems and safety assessments of each nanomaterial are presented. This review also highlights the possible mechanisms of antimicrobial activity against bacteria of certain active nanomaterials and their health concerns. It concludes with an outlook of the nanomaterials functionalized in food packaging.

Influence of modified atmosphere and vacuum packaging with and without nanosilver-coated films on different quality parameters of pork

Pork is often marketed in packages with high oxygen atmosphere (MAP) or vacuum to improve shelf life and appearance. As silver ions have antibacterial effects, food contact films coated with silver might improve the shelf life of meat. In the present study, pork was wrapped in commercially available films, coated with nanosilver particles, and stored in the two packaging variants MAP and vacuum for 12 days. During storage, samples were analyzed on days 1 (before packaging), 4, 8 and 12 for microbiological contamination, meat quality (e.g., pH, color), and for the percentages of the myoglobin (Mb) redox forms. In addition, the effects of the film were examined after inoculation of the meat with high quantities of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cells before vacuum storage for 8 days. MAP storage resulted in higher lightness (L*) values, lower liquid loss and higher Mb oxidation compared to vacuum. Microbiological spoilage was partly affected by the packaging variants with reducing effects of the MAP. The nanosilver-coating only affects the Mb redox form percentages of the pork cutlets and on day 4 the L* values, whereas microbiological parameters were not influenced. As the nanosilver coating had no influence on the total viable bacteria counts as well as Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacteriaceae and MRSA counts, an advantage of the nanosilver coating on the shelf life could be excluded.