Perspective: The Place of Pork Meat in Sustainable Healthy Diets

The food systems sustainability framework has 4 domains: nutrition, economics, environment, and society. To qualify as sustainable, individual foods and total diets need to be nutrient-rich, affordable, environmentally friendly, and socially acceptable. Pork is the most consumed meat globally, providing high-quality protein and several priority micronutrients. With research attention focused on plant-based diets, it is time to assess the place of pork meat protein in the global sustainability framework. First, not all proteins are equal. The United States Department of Agriculture category of protein foods includes meat, poultry and fish, eggs, beans and legumes, and nuts and seeds. These protein sources have different protein digestibility profiles, different per-calorie prices, and different environmental footprints, measured in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Second, most analyses of animal-source proteins combine beef, pork, and lamb into a single category of red meat. Beef, pork, and lamb have different nutrient profiles, different protein costs, and different impacts on the environment. Future analyses of nutrient density and monetary and carbon costs of alternative diets would do well to separate pork from beef, lamb, and chicken. There are also different profiles of global food demand. Prior analyses of global Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Database food balance sheets joined with World Bank country incomes have consistently shown that rising incomes across lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) create a growing demand for meat to replace traditional plant proteins. Most of the observed increase has been for pork and chicken rather than beef. This ongoing LMIC protein transition toward more animal proteins may be irreversible as long as incomes grow. The present analyses explore the place of pork in sustainable healthy diets worldwide, given the need for high-quality protein and the predictable patterns of global food demand.

Potential Application of Ovalbumin Gel Nanoparticles Loaded with Carvacrol in the Preservation of Fresh Pork

Plant essential oil has attracted much attention in delaying pork spoilage due to its safety, but its low antibacterial efficiency needs to be solved by encapsulation. Our previous research had fabricated a type of ovalbumin gel nanoparticles loaded with carvacrol (OCGn-2) using the gel-embedding method, which had a high encapsulation rate and antibacterial activity. The main purpose of this study was to further evaluate the stability and slow-release characteristics of OCGn-2 and potential quality effects of the nanoparticles on the preservation of fresh pork pieces during 4 °C storage. The particle test showed that the nanoparticles had better heat stability below 85 °C and salt stability below 90 mM. The in vitro release study indicated that the carvacrol in OCGn-2 followed a Fickian release mechanism. The pork preservation test suggested that the OCGn-2 coating treatments could remarkably restrict the quality decay of pork slices compared to free carvacrol or a physical mixture of ovalbumin and carvacrol treatment. Nano-encapsulation of ovalbumin is beneficial to the sustained release, enhanced oxidation resistance, and improved antibacterial activity of carvacrol. The study suggested that ovalbumin gel nanoparticles embedded with carvacrol could be applied as an efficient bacterial active packaging to extend the storage life of pork.

Chinese Consumers' Heterogeneous Preferences for the Front-of-Package Labeling on Fresh Pork: A Choice Experiment Approach

Excessive average daily pork intake of Chinese residents increases the risk of obesity and related chronic diseases. Understanding consumers’ preference for the Front-of-Package (FOP) labeling on fresh pork is of practical significance for designing an FOP labeling scheme that meets market demand and effectively guides moderate pork consumption. This study used the conditional logit model to reveal the stated preferences of 930 nationally representative respondents in China for FOP labeling attributes elicited by a choice experiment approach. The results indicated that respondents preferred the nutritional information to be printed in Chinese characters, the label size to be a quarter of the front package surface, the label color to be green, and the label price to account for 10% of the retail price of 500 g standard fresh pork. Moreover, these preferences were heterogeneous across the sample population due to respondents’ different levels of education and trust in labeling. People with primary and junior high school education preferred nutritional information in Chinese characters, while those with junior high education and above preferred green labeling. The higher the respondents’ trust in the labeling, the stronger their willingness to accept the appropriate FOP labeling price. Information campaigns and educational programs can be used to increase the acceptance of FOP labelling, particularly among consumers with low education levels and distrust of FOP labeling.

Microbial Inactivation Property of Pulsed Corona Discharge Plasma and Its Effect on Chilled Pork Preservation

Although plasma, especially atmospheric plasma generated by corona discharge, has been proven to be effective in sterilization and food preservation, its disinfection mechanism on chilled pork is poorly understood. In this research, the bactericidal and preservation effect of corona discharge plasma (CDP) was investigated. The maximum bactericidal effect was found after 20 kV 4 kHz CDP treatment, with 2.77 log (colony-forming unit [CFU]/g), 2.41 log (CFU/g), and 1.36 log (CFU/g) reduction for Pantoea agglomerans, Serratia liquefaciens, and Kurthia zopfii, respectively, after 10 min of exposure. The efficiency of microbial inactivation was attributed to the increase of ozone, hydrogen peroxide and morphological changes. It was observed that the microbial level and total volatile binding nitrogen value of CDP-treated chilled pork samples were suppressed during storage, whereas the increase of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value and the changes of color were still worthy of attention. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of pulsed CDP on the inactivation of spoilage microorganism inoculated on the surface of fresh pork. The prospect of this technology in meat preservation industry was also investigated.

[Preliminary quantitative risk assessment of the effect of Salmonella on human health in retail fresh pork]

OBJECTIVE

A quantitative microbiological risk assessment was conducted for Salmonella spp. in fresh pork from retail stores to consumers in China in order to provide evidence for adopting effective risk management measures.

METHODS

The national food safety and risk monitoring data was used to estimate the initial contamination level of Salmonella in the retail fresh pork. The growth model and the cross-contamination model of Salmonella were referenced from the ComBase data base and scientific literature, respectively. Then the human health risk was predicted by the consumption of Salmonella-contaminated fresh pork and the Beta-Poisson dose-response model.

RESULTS

The number of Salmonellosis per year among 1 million residents due to fresh pork was estimated to be 4748.The sensitivity analysis showed that the risk of Salmonellosis was mainly and positively correlated with the preparation rate of ready to eat food, the consumption quantity of pork, the initial contamination level of Salmonella in fresh pork, and the proportion of improper cleaning of knives and chopping boards. When the contamination level of Salmonella in fresh pork is controlled below 1 CFU/g, the average probability of illness will be reduced by 59.39%; the average probability of illness will be reduced by 58.97% by increasing the ratio of complete cleaning of chopping boards or the separation ratio of chopping boards for raw and ready-to-eat food to 90%.

CONCLUSION

The risk could be effectively reduced by controlling the concentration of Salmonella contamination in retail pork or improving hygiene practices.

Development and antimicrobial application of plantaricin BM-1 incorporating a PVDC film on fresh pork meat during cold storage

AIMS

The aim of this study was to develop a plantaricin BM-1, a typical IIa bacteriocin produced by Lactocacillus plantarumBM-1, for active polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) films and to determine the antimicrobial effect of plantaricin BM-1 incorporated into a PVDC film on fresh pork during 7 days of storage at 4°C.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Plantaricin BM-1 solutions (20 480 AU ml^-1 ) that absorbed into the PVDC film increased gradually and reached maximum volumes during exposure for up to 20 h. When soaked in water, the released amount of plantaricin BM-1 from the active PVDC film reached a maximum at 20 h. The plantaricin BM-1 active PVDC film had an obvious antilisterial effect in culture medium and fresh pork inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes. Furthermore, plantaricin BM-1-incorporated PVDC film was also significantly (P < 0·01) reduced to aerobic counts of approximately 1·5 log₁₀ CFU per g after 7 days of storage at 4°C in pork meat, and the pH and total volatile basic nitrogen of pork meat were significantly (P < 0·01, P < 0·05) lower than those of the control.

CONCLUSION

Plantaricin BM-1 active film has an excellent effect to prolong the shelf life of pork meat during cold storage.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The results of this study suggest a potential application of bacteriocin active film on meat preservation.

High-Throughput Sequencing of Viable Microbial Communities in Raw Pork Subjected to a Fast Cooling Process

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the fast cooling process on the microbiological community in chilled fresh pork during storage. We established a culture-independent method to study viable microbes in raw pork. Tray-packaged fresh pork and chilled fresh pork were completely spoiled after 18 and 49 d in aseptic bags at 4 °C, respectively. 16S/18S ribosomal RNAs were reverse transcribed to cDNA to characterize the activity of viable bacteria/fungi in the 2 types of pork. Both cDNA and total DNA were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing, which revealed that viable Bacteroides sp. were the most active genus in rotten pork, although viable Myroides sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were also active. Moreover, viable fungi were only detected in chilled fresh pork. The sequencing results revealed that the fast cooling process could suppress the growth of microbes present initially in the raw meat to extend its shelf life. Our results also suggested that fungi associated with pork spoilage could not grow well in aseptic tray-packaged conditions.