Sous Vide Cooking Effects on Physicochemical, Microbiological and Sensory Characteristics of Pork Loin

Effect of different sous-vide cooking temperature-time combinations on the functional and sensory properties of goose meat

The effect of goose meat sous-vide (SV) cooking at 6 combinations of temperature (60°C, 80°C) and time (4, 6, 12h) on selected functional properties was investigated. The study conducted an assessment of cooking loss (CL), moisture content, pH, longitudinal (LS), and transverse (TS) shrinkage, shear force (SF), texture profile analysis (TPA), color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C, h°), ΔE and carried out sensory evaluation. A total of 168 breast muscles (BM with and without skin) from 17-wk-old "Polish oat geese" were utilized. The CL was affected by both cooking temperature and time. The CL for meat with skin was higher than for without ones, and it was lower for both kinds of meat cooked at 60°C than at 80°C for all cooking times. The LS was higher than the TS. The higher shrinkage was stated for meat cooked at 80°C. There was a reduction in moisture content and slightly increasing pH by increasing temperature and prolonging cooking time. For both kinds of meat, the highest moisture retention was stated at 60°C/4h, and the lowest in samples heated at 80°C/12h. The samples cooked at 60°C were characterized by a higher L* value than those at 80°C. The a* values were higher for samples cooked at 60°C than those at 80°C, whereas b* were higher for meat cooked at 80°C. The SF exhibited a trend of lower values at 60°C compared to samples cooked at 80°C and it increased with prolonged cooking time. The value of hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness for meat cooked at 60°C increased, and for samples cooked at 80°C decreased with increasing cooking time. It was no significant differences in sensory scores for overall palatability for both kinds of meat cooked at 60°C and 80°C. Goose meat cooked at different time and temperature combinations showed extremely desirable overall palatability. Taking into account all discussed parameters, the optimal combination seems to be 60°C/4h.

Investigating the impact of sous vide cooking on the eating quality of spent buffalo (BUBALUS BUBALIS) meat

This study describes the impact of sous vide cooking at different temperatures and time intervals on the eating quality, specifically tenderness of two muscles, bicep femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST) from spent buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Spent buffalo refers to water buffalo that are no longer considered productive following a sixth lactation cycle. Steaks from each muscle were obtained and cooked at three combinations of time and temperature, namely 55 °C-8H, 65 °C-5H, and 95 °C-45 M, respectively. Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF), cooking loss, cooking yield, color, water activity (aw), total water content (TWC), total collagen content (TCC), heat soluble collagen (HSC), myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), and sensory evaluation were measured. The collagen solubilization results showed that temperature and time interacted (P ≤ 0.05), reducing the toughness of the muscles. The tenderization achieved through sous vide cooking was mainly attributed to the thermal denaturation of proteins at the typically lower temperatures and extended time used, weakening of connective tissue through collagen solubilization, and water retention. More cooking loss (P ≤ 0.05) was observed at high temperature treatment of 95 °C-45 M. Meat color, TWC, MFI, and overall acceptability exhibited differences among treatments (P ≤ 0.05). An extended heat interval at lower temperatures caused initial denaturation of myofibrillar proteins, then solubilization of connective tissue proteins. Cooking treatment 55 °C-8H (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the WBSF in both muscles; however, the ST appeared more tender than BF.

Production and meat quality traits of genetically lean immunocastrated pigs naturally divergent for loin tenderness

Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) is a quantitative measurement of meat toughness that has great impact on the consumer acceptability of meat. This study was conducted to evaluate growth performance, carcass and meat quality characteristics, and fatty acids profile of longissimus lumborum (LL) intramuscular fat (IMF) of pigs that are genetically divergent for WBSF. Based on WBSF values of the LL from a previous study, 12 immunocastrated male pigs selected from 96 pigs were divided into two groups with high WBSF (53.28 to 42.50 N) and low WBSF (37.27 to 27.79 N). Although high-WBSF pigs tended to have improved (P = 0.08) gain-to-feed ratio, overall performance was similar between WBSF groups. High-WBSF pigs also tended to have higher (P = 0.09) cooling loss and lean percentage as well as decreased (P = 0.08) 10th-rib backfat depth than low-WBSF pigs. Loins from high-WBSF pigs tended to have lower (P = 0.07) IMF content and higher (P = 0.09) cooking loss than low-WBSF pigs. Compared to low-WBSF pigs, IMF of the LL from high-WBSF pigs had lower (P = 0.05) percentage of oleic acid and tended to have a decreased (P = 0.07) percentage of total monounsaturated fatty acids. Loins from pigs with high WBSF tended to have increased (P = 0.09) total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content and had higher (P = 0.03) PUFA: saturated fatty acid ratio than low-WBSF pigs. Selecting pigs for pork tenderness could potentially conflict with lean growth efficiency and a healthier fatty acids profile for human consumption.

Sous-Vide as an Alternative Method of Cooking to Improve the Quality of Meat: A Review

Sous-vide (SV) is a method of cooking previously vacuum-packed raw materials under strictly controlled conditions of time and temperature. Over the past few years, scientific articles have explored the physical, biochemical, and microbiological properties of SV cooking. In this review, we provide a critical appraisal of SV as an alternative method of meat cooking, including the types of methods, types of SV meat products, and effects of SV parameters on the meat quality and the mechanisms of transformation taking place in meat during SV cooking. Based on the available data, it can be concluded that most research on the SV method refers to poultry. The yield of the process depends on the meat type and characteristics, and decreases with increasing temperature, while time duration does not have an impact. Appropriate temperatures in this method make it possible to control the changes in products and affect their sensory quality. Vacuum conditions are given a minor role, but they are important during storage. The limited number of studies on the approximate composition of SV meat products makes it challenging to draw summarizing conclusions on this subject. The SV method allows for a higher microbiological quality of stored meat than conventional methods. The literature suggests that the SV method of preparing beef, pork, and poultry has many advantages.

Advanced Red Meat Cooking Technologies and Their Effect on Engineering and Quality Properties: A Review

The aim of this review is to investigate the basic principles of red meat cooking technologies, including traditional and modern methods, and their effects on the physical, thermal, mechanical, sensory, and microbial characteristics of red meat. Cooking methods were categorized into two categories: traditional (cooking in the oven and frying) and modern (ohmic, sous vide, and microwave cooking). When red meat is subjected to high temperatures during food manufacturing, it undergoes changes in its engineering and quality attributes. The quality standards of meat products are associated with several attributes that are determined by food technologists and consumers based on their preferences. Cooking improves the palatability of meat in terms of tenderness, flavor, and juiciness, in addition to eliminating pathogenic microorganisms. The process of meat packaging is one of the important processes that extend the life span of meat and increase its shelf life due to non-exposure to oxygen during cooking and ease of handling without being exposed to microbial contamination. This review highlights the significance of meat cooking mathematical modeling in understanding heat and mass transfer phenomena, reducing costs, and maintaining meat quality. The critical overview considers various production aspects/quality and proposed methods, such as, but not limited to, hurdle technology, for the mass production of meat.

Effect of Heating under Different Vacuum Levels on Physicochemical and Oxidative Properties of Beef Sirloin

The physicochemical and oxidative properties of beef sirloin slices heated under atmospheric (101.33 kPa, a vacuum percent of 0%, control) and vacuum (50.8 kPa, 50% and 7.2 Pa, 99.99%) conditions by using an airtight vacuum container were compared. Heating at a higher vacuum level resulted in the lowest pH and cooking loss compared with the other conditions (p < 0.05). The beef in vacuum groups was less hard, chewy, and gummy than the control group, without any significant differences between the vacuum groups. More structural shrinkage and lower browning were observed in the meat heated at higher vacuum levels. Similarly, higher vacuum levels suppressed increases in the lightness (L*), redness (a*), and total color difference (E*) of the surface after heating. The thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values, a sensitive indicator of meat oxidation due to heating, were only influenced by the vacuum conditions. Consequently, applying a vacuum effectively prevents the degradation in the meat’s physicochemical and oxidative properties during heating. The findings are useful for the sous-vide industry because they scientifically demonstrate how vacuum pressure affects the physicochemical and oxidative properties of the meat by using a specially designed airtight vacuum container.

Effects of the Sous Vide and Conventional Electric Oven Cooking Methods on the Physio-Sensory Quality Attributes of Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius) Meat

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the sous vide and electric oven cooking methods on the physical and sensory characteristics of camel meat. A combination of 4 cooking temperatures (70, 80, 90, and 100 °C) and 6 cooking times (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 min) was applied. Both methods significantly affected the meat’s physical properties (pH, cooking loss, density, lightness, redness, and yellowness color components), except for water activity. Furthermore, the cooking temperature and time significantly affected all the sensory properties (tenderness, flavor, juiciness, and general acceptance). The cooking loss was the only parameter affected significantly by the interaction of the cooking method, cooking temperature, and cooking time. It is concluded that the sous vide method is the more suitable method for cooking camel meat compared to the electric oven method considering the cooking temperature and time. Further studies are recommended to estimate energy consumption for both cooking methods evaluated in this study aiming at reducing the overall power expenditure.

Special Issue on Application of Instrumental Methods for Food and Food By-Products Analysis

The application of various analytical procedures and methods determining the properties and safety of food and food constituents is a particularly important topic when dealing with food and food by-product analyses [...]