Consumer Perceptions of Meat Redness Were Strongly Influenced by Storage and Display Times

Assessment of beef sensory attributes and physicochemical characteristics: A comparative study of intermediate versus normal ultimate pH striploin cuts

The quality of beef, defined by key attributes such as the intrinsic sensory qualities texture, flavour, and juiciness, is shaped by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study conducted a detailed examination of Nellore beef, focusing on two categories based on ultimate pH (pHu) levels: intermediate (pHu ≥ 5.8) and normal (pHu < 5.6) beef. A comprehensive approach was taken, involving twenty trained assessors who applied the Optimised Descriptive Profile (ODP) method to evaluate grilled striploin steak samples. In parallel, consumer preferences were measured through a hedonic test and a Check-all-that-apply (CATA) task, involving 135 participants. The ODP results revealed that the intermediate pHu samples were juicier (P < 0.05) compared to the normal pHu group. The CATA analysis highlighted differences in both intermediate and normal pHu beef, especially in juiciness, a crucial factor for consumer satisfaction. Notably, variations in deoxymyoglobin content linked to ageing were observed, with higher levels at the 3rd day compared to the 28th day, especially in the intermediate pHu samples (P < 0.05). Moreover, colour-related aspects such as L*, b*, chroma (C*), and oxymyoglobin were significantly influenced (P < 0.05) by both the pHu category and ageing time. Regarding consumer acceptance, the study found no significant difference in perception between the intermediate and normal pHu groups (P > 0.05). These findings revealed the complex interactions between pHu levels, sensory characteristics, and consumer preferences in beef quality, offering valuable insights for both the industry and research community.

Rapid identification of counterfeited beef using deep learning-aided spectroscopy: Detecting colourant and curing agent adulteration

The adulteration of meat products using colourants and curing agents has heightened concerns over food safety, thereby necessitating the development of advanced detection methods. This study introduces a deep-learning-based spectroscopic method for swiftly identifying counterfeit beef altered to appear fresh. The experiment involved 60 beef samples, half of which were artificially adulterated using a colouring solution. Despite meticulous analysis of the beef's colour attributes, no significant differences were observed between the fresh and adulterated samples. However, our method, utilising a 344-1040 nm spectral range, achieved a classification accuracy of 98.84%. To enhance practicality, we employed gradient-weighted class activation mapping and identified the 580-600 nm range as particularly influential for classification. Remarkably, even when we narrowed the input to the model to this spectral range, a high level of classification accuracy was maintained. To further validate the model's robustness and generalisability, we allocated 70 beef samples to an external validation set. Comparative performance analysis revealed that our model outperformed traditional machine learning algorithms, such as SVM and logistic regression, by 9.3% and 28.4%, respectively. Overall, this study offers invaluable insights for detecting counterfeited beef, thereby contributing to the preservation of meat product quality and integrity within the food industry.

Assessment of Chemical, Physico-Chemical and Sensory Properties of Low-Sodium Beef Burgers Formulated with Flours from Different Mushroom Types

It is now widely demonstrated that excessive salt consumption can cause various health problems, and meat products are among the foods most consumed with a high salt content. For that, the aim of this work was to assess the effects of the utilization of flours obtained from oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), and portobello mushrooms (Agaricus brunnescen) as salt replacers on chemical, physicochemical, and sensory properties of beef burgers. The fat and protein content was not affected by the inclusion of mushroom flour, while the sodium content was reduced by 55-61% compared to the control sample. The control sample had the lowest values for cooking loss and shrinkage (12.29 and 18.69%, respectively) whilst the reformulated samples had higher values ranging between 16.08 and 18.88% for cooking loss, respectively, and between 19.55 and 28.25% for shrinkage, respectively. The reformulated samples showed higher lipid oxidation values (ranging from 0.18 and 0.20 mg malondialdehyde/kg sample) than the control sample. Sensorially, all parameters analyzed were not affected by the replacement of sodium chloride by the different mushroom flours. The use of flours obtained from different mushroom flours is a viable alternative to be used as sodium chloride replacers in the preparation of beef burgers.

Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) Seaweed Added to a Growing-Finishing Lamb Diet Has a Positive Effect on Quality Traits and on Mineral Content of Meat

Supplementing ruminants' diet with seaweed has shown positive effect on meat quality and micronutrients important for human health. The objective of the present study was to investigate the use of Saccharina latissima in a lamb diet to improve the eating quality and nutritional value of meat. Six-month-old female Norwegian White lambs (n = 24) were fed, 35 days pre-slaughter, three different diets: a control (CON) and two seaweed diets (SW); supplemented with either 2.5% (SW1) or 5% (SW2). The quality properties of longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and semimembranosus with adductor (SM+ADD) muscles were examined. The dietary inclusion of seaweed reduced cooking loss and shear force of lamb meat, although the effect was not significant at both supplementation levels. SW1 fed lambs showed a significantly (p < 0.05) improved meat color stability and antioxidant potential. Seaweed also reduced lipid oxidation (TBARS) and the warm-over flavor in SM+ADD compared to the CON lamb. Seaweed fed lambs showed an increased content of selenium and iodine in LTL, thereby fulfilling the requirements for the label "source of nutrient" and "significant source of nutrient", respectively. An increased arsenic content in LTL was, however, also observed with seaweed inclusion (to 1.54 and 3.09 μg/100 g in SW1 and SW2 group, respectively). While relevant positive effects were found in meat using seaweed in lamb feed, some optimization of this feed approach will be desirable.

Effect of dietary olive (Olea europea) pomace on productive performance, and physiological and meat quality parameters in Jumbo quail

High levels of dietary fiber could restrict the inclusion of olive (Olea europea L.) pomace (OP) as a source of energy and bioactive compounds in Jumbo quail (Coturnix sp.) diets. In this study, the optimum inclusion level of dietary OP on growth and carcass performance, serum biochemistry, and meat quality parameters in Jumbo quail was investigated. One-week-old Jumbo quail (350; 28.9 ± 1.29 g live-weight) were reared on a standard mash grower diet with 0 (OP0), 100 (OP10), 150 (OP15), 200 (OP20), and 250 g/kg (OP25) OP for five weeks. The experimental diets were randomly allocated to 35 pens (experimental units) with seven replicates each. Overall body weight gain in Jumbo quail fed with diets OP20 and OP25 was lower (p < 0.001) than those fed diets OP0 and OP10. Including dietary OP had no effect on the overall gain-to-feed ratio, serum biochemistry, and internal organs but linearly reduced carcass yields. Diet OP25 promoted a higher (p < 0.022) meat hue angle value than the other diets. The inclusion of OP beyond 150 g/kg compromised growth and carcass performance, and altered some meat color attributes, but had no influence on serum biochemistry, and internal organs of the Jumbo quail.

Fatty acid and oxidative shelf-life profiles of meat from lambs fed finisher diets containing Acacia mearnsii leaf-meal

Five diets containing Acacia mearnsii leaf-meal (AMLM; 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg DM) substituted for Triticum aestivum bran were fed to lambs for 42 days. The effect of diet and retail display period on meat fatty acid (FA) composition (day 1); colour, antioxidant activity, myoglobin and lipid oxidation (day 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9); protein oxidation (1, 3 and 7 d) and instrumental tenderness (day 1, 5 and 10) were evaluated. Dietary AMLM linearly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) individual (14:0, 16:0, 18:0) and total saturated FA and increased (P ≤ 0.05) trans(t)-monounsaturated FA (MUFA) mainly t10/t11-18:1, individual and total conjugated linoleic acids, n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) contents. The contents of cis(c)-MUFA, mainly c9-18:1, exhibited a quadratic response reaching a minimum at 50 g/kg AMLM (P ≤ 0.05). Meat antioxidant on day 9 was higher (P ≤ 0.05) for diets containing ≥100 g/kg DM AMLM compared to the other diet × retail display period interactions. Relative to the other interactions, meat redness values were lowest on day 7 and 9 for AMLM diets containing ≥150 g/kg DM (P ≤ 0.05). Dietary addition of AMLM increased (P ≤ 0.05) meat lightness and oxymyoglobin, and reduced (P ≤ 0.05) TBARS and instrumental tenderness values. However, oxymyoglobin values declined (P ≤ 0.05) over the retail display period, while lightness, metmyoglobin, TBARS and carbonyls increased (P ≤ 0.05). Results indicate that AMLM up to 200 g/kg DM in lamb finisher diets, improves meat fatty acid composition, tenderness, and lipid shelf-life.

Effects of Marinades Prepared from Food Industry By-Products on Quality and Biosafety Parameters of Lamb Meat

This study aimed to develop marinade formulas based on by-products from the dairy, berry, and fruit industries and apply them to lamb meat (LM) treatments to improve the safety and quality characteristics of the meat. To fulfil this aim, six marinade (M) formulations were created based on acid whey (AW) fermented with Lacticaseibacillus casei (Lc) and Liquorilactobacillus uvarum (Lu), either alone or combined with freeze-dried apple (AP) or blackcurrant (BC) pomace. The most appropriate fermentation times for the marinades were selected according to the lower pH values and higher viable LAB counts in the samples. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of the selected marinades against pathogenic and opportunistic bacterial strains was tested. The characteristics of the LM were analysed after 24 and 48 h of treatment, including physicochemical, technological, and microbiological parameters, as well as overall acceptability. It was established that, after 48 h of fermentation, all of the tested marinades, except M-AWLuBC, had lactic acid bacterial counts > 8.0 log10 CFU·mL−1 and pH values < 3.74. The broadest spectra of pathogen inhibition were observed in the M-AWLuAP and M-AWLuBC marinades. The latter formulations improved the water holding capacity (WHC) and overall acceptability of the LM, while, in the LM-AWLcAP samples, histamine, cadaverine, putrescine, tryptamine, and phenylethylamine were not formed. Lastly, LM treatment with the M-AWLcAP and M-AWLuAP formulas for 48 h achieved the highest overall acceptability (9.04 and 9.43), tenderness (1.53 and 1.47 kg·cm−2) and WHC (2.95% and 3.5%) compared to the control samples.

Combined Effect of Acid Whey Addition and Ultrasonic Treatment on the Chemical and Microbiological Stability of Lamb Stuffing

The microbiological and chemical stability of stuffing is crucial in meat processing. Small ruminant (lamb) meat has many nutritional advantages (fatty acid composition and ratio, high biological value of protein, source of zinc, and selenium) but is poorly utilized in processing. In this experiment, we determined the effects of physical (sonication), chemical (salt, curing salt, and air access), and microbiological (acid whey) factors on the microbiological and chemical stability of lamb meat stuffing. Proximate composition and fatty acids profile, pH, water activity, lipid oxidation, color parameters, and microbiology examinations were performed in fresh meat stuffing and on the fifth day of refrigerated storage. Ultrasound treatment of the meat with whey reduced its acidity and increased the oxidative stability of fats but did not modify the water activity and color of the stuffing. Stuffing sonication did not affect the growth of LAB but reduced the number of Entereobacteriace, especially in the presence of whey and salt. The treatment of lamb meat stuffing with low-frequency and medium-intensity ultrasound assisted by the addition of acid whey and salt is a technique conducive to reducing the use of nitrates in meat technology and their consumption by consumers.

Intake, growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of feedlot lambs fed novel anthocyanin-rich corn cobs

Feeding anthocyanin- and antioxidant-rich forages to sheep and dairy cows can improve performance and product quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of feeding anthocyanin-rich (Hi-A) corn cobs on the growth performance and meat quality of lambs. A total of 30 eight-month-old Rambouillet ewe lambs (body weight 30.7 ± 1.2 kg) were fed for 63 days with three diets consisting of 80% concentrate and 20% roughage: Hi-A corn cobs (Hi-A), regular corn cobs (Low-A), and bermudagrass hay (BGH). A completely randomized design trial with 10 lambs per treatment was used. Data were collected on dry matter intake (DMI), body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), gain:feed ratio (G:F), carcass traits, meat color, fatty acid (FA) profile, volatile aroma compounds, and sensory panels. After feeding for 63 days, lambs were harvested, and the carcasses were evaluated. Boneless lamb loin chops were fabricated and submitted to FA, aroma, and sensory analysis. The corn cob diets did not affect BW, ADG, or G:F of the lambs compared to BGH diet, but DMI (P < 0.01) was decreased. The dressing percentage was greater (P < 0.05) in lambs fed BGH than in those fed Hi-A, while lambs fed Low-A did not differ from the other two diets. Loin chop instrumental color characteristics were not influenced by diets, except the hue angle, which was greater (P < 0.05) in lambs fed Hi-A than Low-A, while BGH did not differ from lambs fed either cob diet. There was no significant difference in the meat fatty acid profile. Five volatile compounds were affected by diets. The 2-butanone (P = 0.07) and 2,3-butanedione (P = 0.05) were greater in chops from lambs fed BGH relative to lambs fed Hi-A and neither differed (P > 0.05) from lambs fed Low-A diet. The 2-propanone was greater (P = 0.01) in chops from lambs fed BGH than in those fed either the Low-A or Hi-A diets. Both 3-methyl-butanal and methyl benzene were lower (P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively) in chops from lambs fed the Hi-A diet than in those fed either the BGH or Low-A diet. Replacing 20% bermudagrass hay with corn cobs in the diets of feedlot lambs did not affect sheep growth performance, meat fatty acid profile, sensory traits, and most carcass characteristics and meat color parameters. Hi-A corn diet improved aroma in cooked boneless loin chops, but sensory traits were not affected. This study showed the Hi-A corn cobs can be safely used for roughage and feed for lambs and for improving meat aroma in cooked boneless loin chops.

A Pumpkin-Based Emulsion Gel as a Texture Improvement of Mixed Horsemeat Semi-Smoked Sausages

Semi-smoked sausages were made with 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% replacement of horsemeat by emulsion gel made with offal broth (stomach, kidney, liver, heart, brain, and a miscellaneous trimmings of a horse), pumpkin flour, and egg yolk in a ratio of 5:4:1. The technological, nutritional, oxidative, and rheological (G′ and G″) properties were studied. Sausage water holding capacity (WHC) rose after being incorporated with pumpkin-based emulsion gel (PEG). There was a statistically significant (p < 0.01) improvement in sausage emulsion stability. Lipid oxidation in all samples, especially 5% and 15% addition of emulsion gel samples, was below the rancidity criterion, which is TBARS > 2.0−2.5 mg MDA/kg sample. This really is encouraging because unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in horsemeat, are easily oxidized. Use of the emulsion gel did not noticeably alter the sausages’ pH. Using emulsion gel considerably reduced the cooking loss (p < 0.05) of sausages and significantly improved texture (p < 0.05). Partial replacement of mixed horsemeat with emulsion gel improved the physicochemical characteristics of semi-smoked sausages. The elasticity modulus (G′) showed that PEG15 (15% of emulsion gel) was the most resilient gel. The least powerful gels (p < 0.05) were PEG20 and PEG25. According to this study, adding a pumpkin-based emulsion gel to the meat matrix could improve the quality of the emulsified meat system and provide important data for related research and companies as strategies to market a healthier and more nutritious product with the necessary quality characteristics.

PCDM and PCDM4MP: New Pairwise Correlation-Based Data Mining Tools for Parallel Processing of Large Tabular Datasets

The paper describes PCDM and PCDM4MP as new tools and commands capable of exploring large datasets. They select variables based on identifying the absolute values of Pearson’s pairwise correlation coefficients between a chosen response variable and any other existing in the dataset. In addition, for each pair, they also report the corresponding significance and the number of non-null intersecting observations, and all this reporting is performed in a record-oriented manner (both source and output). Optionally, using threshold values for these three as parameters of PCDM, any user can select the most correlated variables based on high magnitude, significance, and support criteria. The syntax is simple, and the tools show the exploration progress in real-time. In addition, PCDM4MP can trigger different instances of Stata, each using a distinct class of variables belonging to the same dataset and resulting after simple name filtering (first letter). Moreover, this multi-processing (MP) version overcomes the parallelization limitations of the existing parallel module, and this is accomplished by using vertical instead of horizontal partitions of large flat datasets, dynamic generation of the task pattern, tasks, and logs, all within a single execution of this second command, and the existing qsub module to automatically and continuously allocate the tasks to logical processors and thereby emulating with fewer resources a cluster environment. In addition, any user can perform further selections based on the results printed in the console. The paper contains examples of using these tools for large datasets such as the one belonging to the World Values Survey and based on a simple variable naming practice. This article includes many recorded simulations and presents performance results. They depend on different resources and hardware configurations used, including cloud vs. on-premises, large vs. small amounts of RAM and processing cores, and in-memory vs. traditional storage.

Evaluation of Mutton Quality Characteristics of Dongxiang Tribute Sheep Based on Membership Function and Gas Chromatography and Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Dongxiang tribute sheep have a history of use in food dishes such as "Dongxiang Handgrip," which dates back hundreds of years and is a favorite halal food in northwestern China. However, little is known about the mutton quality characteristics of Dongxiang tribute sheep. Here, we measured the sensory characteristics, nutritional quality, and flavor substances to comprehensively evaluate the mutton quality characteristics of these sheep. The mutton qualities of Dongxiang tribute, Tibetan, Ujumqin, and Hu sheep were comprehensively evaluated by membership function. Subsequently, the volatile components in mutton samples from 30 Dongxiang tribute sheep were detected via gas chromatography and ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), and their fingerprints were established. The result of meat quality revealed that the shear force, the contents of protein, essential amino acid (EAA), non-essential amino acid (NEAA), and n-6/n-3 ratio of Dongxiang tribute mutton were better than the other three breeds. Membership functions were calculated for 10 physical and chemical indexes of mutton quality, and the comprehensive membership function values of the four breeds in order of highest to lowest mutton quality were Tibetan sheep (0.76) > Dongxiang tribute sheep (0.49) > Hu sheep (0.46) > Ujumqin sheep (0.33). Thirty volatile compounds were identified via GC-IMS: seven alcohols, eight aldehydes, five ketones, two esters, two phenols, one ether, one furan, one acid, two hydrocarbons, and one pyrazine. Ketones, aldehydes, and alcohols were the main volatile compounds forming the flavor of Dongxiang tribute sheep mutton. The reliability of the results was validated by PCA (principal component analysis) and similarity analyses. Our results provide reference value for consumers of mutton in China.

Predicting the Oxidative Degradation of Raw Beef Meat during Cold Storage Using Numerical Simulations and Sensors—Prospects for Meat and Fish Foods

Preventing animal-source food waste is an important pathway to reducing malnutrition and improving food system sustainability. Uncontrolled color variation due to oxidation is a source of waste as it prompts food rejection by consumers. Evaluation of oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) can help to predict and prevent oxidation and undesirable color changes. A new sensor and two modeling approaches—a phenomenological model and a reaction–diffusion model—were successfully used to predict the oxidative browning of beef ribeye steaks stored under different temperature and oxygen concentration conditions. Both models predicted similar storage durations for acceptable color, although deviating for higher and lower redness levels, which are of no interest for meat acceptance. Simulations under higher oxygen concentrations lead to a few days of delay in the redness change, as observed in practice, under modified atmosphere packaging. In meat juice, variation in ORP measured by the sensor correlated with the redness variation. However, in meat, sensors promote oxidation in the adjacent area, which is unacceptable for industrial use. This paper discusses the potential, limits, and prospects of the mathematical models and sensors, developed for beef. A strategy is proposed to couple these approaches and include the effect of microorganisms.

Effects of grape pomace supplementation on the diet of lactating ewes as compared to vitamin E on the meat shelf life of suckling lambs

Forty-eight Churra ewes and their suckling lambs were assigned to four dietary treatments: control (CTRL), VIT-E (500 mg kg-1 TMR vitamin E), GP-5 (5% grape pomace) and GP-10 (10% grape pomace). After slaughter (11.5 kg live weight), longissimus muscle of lambs was sliced, packaged under modified atmosphere (80,20%/O 2:CO 2) and stored in retail conditions. At each sampling point (0, 3, 7, 10, 14 days), microbiological, physicochemical and sensory characteristics were analysed. Vitamin E and GP-5 were found to be effective (p < 0.05) at preventing enterobacteria growth as of day 10. After day 10, vitamin E and grape pomace in the ewe's supplementation reduced metmyoglobin (p < 0.05) lipid oxidation (p < 0.05) and sensory spoilage throughout the storage period. An effect of the grape pomace dosage was observed, with the supplementation at 5% being more effective. Therefore, we can conclude that grape pomace was just as effective as vitamin E in preventing spoilage during retail storage.

The use of conventional laboratory-based methods to predict consumer acceptance of beef and sheep meat: A review

Meat scientists often use objective, laboratory-based methods to understand the sensorial properties of red meat. These approaches are advantageous because of their reproducibility, low cost, rapid generation of data and technical ease - comparative to large scale consumer sensory panels. To enhance the value of these methods, effort has been applied to identify specific limits or thresholds that correspond to a consumer's acceptance or satisfaction with the quality of a meat product. From the literature, we observe there to be inconsistencies in these thresholds. This could stem from disparate laboratory methods, consumer panel procedures and demographics, the approach to statistical analysis, sample type and representativeness, and more. This paper aimed to review consumer thresholds, proposed in the literature, to provide insight into their validity and transferability to other studies. Investigations were limited to red meat (beef and sheep meat) and to non-spectroscopic methods that have been used to predict consumer acceptance of colour, tenderness, juiciness, flavour and overall liking.