Determination of the protein content in brine from salted herring using near-infrared spectroscopy

Near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy in the spectral range of 1000-2500 nm, was measured directly on brine from barrel salted herring, to investigate the potential of NIR as a fast method to determine the protein content. A principal component analysis performed on the NIR spectra shows two groups, separating the first 100 days of storage from the storage time exceeding 100 days. A partial least-squares regression model between selected regions of the NIR spectra and the protein content yields a correlation coefficient of 0.93 and a prediction error (RMSECV) of 0.25 g/100 g. The results clearly indicate that NIR spectroscopy has a potential as a fast and noninvasive method for assessing the protein content in brine from barrel salted herring, which again may be used as an indicator for the ripening quality of barrel salted herring.     

Modeling of proteolysis and lipolysis in Iranian white brine cheese

The simultaneous effects of processing variables such as ripening time (20–60 days), ripening temperature (6–10 °C), level of rennet added (1–2 g/100 kg milk) and brine concentration (8–14%, w/v) on the proteolysis, lipolysis and sensory score of Iranian white brined cheese (Feta type) were explored by the means of response surface methodology. The most important effect in proteolytical terms was produced by ripening temperature and ripening time in linear form, but level of rennet added and brine concentration were also significant at the 5% level. In terms of lipolysis, ripening time was dominant factor in both linear and quadratic forms; quadratic effect of ripening temperature was greater than its linear effect.     

Stability of α-tocotrienol and α-tocopherol in salami-type sausages and curing brine depending on nitrite and pH

We studied the stability of the valuable vitamer nutrients α-tocotrienol and α-tocopherol and options for their protection in salami-type sausages (blended with α-tocotrienol-rich barley oil) and curing brine. Four different sausage formulations were produced containing nitrite curing salt; nitrite curing salt and ascorbic acid (300 mg/kg); nitrite curing salt and carnosic acid (45 mg/kg); or sodium chloride. Initial vitamer contents (100 mg/kg) did not decrease significantly during ripening and decreased only slightly during storage. Ascorbic acid and carnosic acid were found to be effective in preserving the vitamers in fresh sausages. Freeze-drying of sausages resulted in a significant loss of vitamers (97%), particularly after 14-day storage at room temperature, even in the presence of shielding gases. The vitamer content in the curing brine decreased with decreasing pH in the presence of nitrite. A nitrite concentration of 136 mg/L at pH 4 resulted in significant loss (90%) of the vitamers. Sufficient stability of the vitamers in salami-type sausage and curing brine can be achieved by processing, formulation, and storage conditions.     

Influence of brine concentration and temperature on composition, microstructure, and yield of feta cheese

The protein matrix of cheese undergoes changes immediately following cheesemaking in response to salting and cooling. Normally, such changes are limited by the amount of water entrapped in the cheese at the time of block formation but for brined cheeses such as feta cheese brine acts as a reservoir of additional water. Our objective was to determine the extent to which the protein matrix of cheese expands or contracts as a function of salt concentration and temperature, and whether such changes are reversible. Blocks of feta cheese made with overnight fermentation at 20 and 31°C yielded cheese of pH 4.92 and pH 4.83 with 50.8 and 48.9 g/100 g of moisture, respectively. These cheeses were then cut into 100-g pieces and placed in plastic bags containing 100 g of whey brine solutions of 6.5, 8.0, and 9.5% salt, and stored at 3, 6, 10, and 22°C for 10 d. After brining, cheese and whey were reweighed, whey volume measured, and cheese salt, moisture, and pH determined. A second set of cheeses were similarly placed in brine (n = 9) and stored for 10 d at 3°C, followed by 10 d at 22°C, followed by 10 d at 3°C, or the complementary treatments starting at 22°C. Cheese weight and whey volume (n = 3) were measured at 10, 20, and 30 d of brining. Cheese structure was examined using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Brining temperature had the greatest influence on cheese composition (except for salt content), cheese weight, and cheese volume. Salt-in-moisture content of the cheeses approached expected levels based on brine concentration and ratio of brine to cheese (i.e., 4.6, 5.7 and 6.7%). Brining at 3°C increased cheese moisture, especially for cheese with an initial pH of 4.92, producing cheese with moisture up to 58 g/100 g. Cheese weight increased after brining at 3, 6, or 10°C. Cold storage also prevented further fermentation and the pH remained constant, whereas at 22°C the pH dropped as low as pH 4.1. At 3°C, the cheese matrix expanded (20 to 30%), whereas at 22°C there was a contraction and a 13 to 18 g/100 g loss in weight. Expansion of the protein matrix at 3°C was reversed by changing to 22°C. However, contraction of the protein matrix was not reversed by changing to 3°C, and the cheese volume remained less than what it was initially.     

Physical attributes and chemical composition of organic strawberry fruit (Fragaria x ananassa Duch, Cv. Albion) at six stages of ripening

Organic strawberry fruits (Cv. ‘Albion’) were harvested at six different ripening stages and evaluated for physical and chemical parameters. Biometrical characteristics and moisture content did not change significantly during ripening. Total soluble solids, pH and colour development increased while titratable acidity and fruit firmness decreased 14.7% and 91%, respectively. Fructose, glucose, and sucrose followed similar tendencies. Final contents of these sugars were 2323.4, 1988.5, and 1578.4 mg/100 g. Citric, malic, and ascorbic acids followed a descending, irregular, and increasing tendency during ripening, respectively. Final contents of these acids were 822.8, 245.8, and 78.1 mg/100 g. Total anthocyanins content (TAC) increased during ripening, while the opposite was observed for total phenolic content (TPC). TAC and TPC in ripe fruit were 56.4 mg/100 g and 196 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g. Twenty eight phenolic compounds, mainly glycosides, were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD–MS analysis. The concentration of these compounds was ripening dependent.     

Carotenoid composition of Algerian date varieties (Phoenix dactylifera) at different edible maturation stages

The aim of this study was to investigate the carotenoid composition and the provitamin A value of three palm date (Phoenix dactylifera) varieties (Deglet-Nour, Hamraya and Tantebouchte) from Algeria at three different ripening stages (khallal, rutab and tamr). Chromatographic analysis showed that the major carotenoid pigment present in dates is lutein followed by β-carotene, with an evident carotenoid disappearance during ripening from the khallal to the tamr stage. The different date fruits present a total carotenoid content in the range of 61.7–167, 32.6–672, and 37.3–773 μg/100 g fresh weight (FW) in Deglet-nour, Tantebouchte and Hamraya varieties, respectively. The rutab stage of Tantebouchte showed the lowest carotenoid content of 32.6 μg/100 g FW, whereas the khallal stage of Hamraya presented the highest value, 773 μg/100 g FW, followed by Tantebouchte with 672 μg/100 g FW. Provitamin A value (due exclusively to β-carotene) increased from 0.4 to 0.5 RE/100 g in Deglet-Nour fruits, but decreased from 11.7 to 1.6 RE/100 g and from 3.9 to 0.5 RE/100 g in Tantebouchte and Hamraya fruits, respectively, during ripening. The lowest value was found at the tamr stage of the Deglet-Nour variety (0.5 RE/100 g) whereas the highest provitamin A content was found at the khallal stage of the Tantebouchte variety (11.7 RE/100 g).     

Textural and biochemical changes during ripening of old-fashioned salted herrings

BACKGROUND: Understanding of the biochemical reactions taking place during ripening of salted herring is still rather limited. Therefore, salted herrings were traditionally produced and the impact of the brine composition was evaluated in relation to the development of the characteristic texture of salted herrings. The aim of this study was to measure the texture changes during ripening using two different methods and to correlate the texture changes with brine composition and with biochemical modifications at the molecular level. RESULTS: During ripening (up to 151 days), hardness was higher in salted herrings compared to raw herrings, irrespective of the brine composition. However, the increase in hardness of herring prepared with extra brine occurred later. After prolonged storage (371 days), hardness was found for both batches to decrease to the level of raw herring. The increase in hardness during the ripening period could be explained by free‐radical‐induced cross‐linking of myosin and the formation of aggregates. In addition, degradation of these aggregates correlated with the decrease in hardness observed at 371 days. CONCLUSIONS: Texture changes during ripening of salted herrings can be explained by oxidative reactions inducing myosin cross‐linking followed by subsequent degradation of these myosin aggregates. The brine composition might play a role in the development of herring texture but this need to be investigated in more details. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Utility of some indicators related to the Maillard browning reaction during processing of infant formulas

Non-enzymatic browning indicators were used to study thermal damage of protein during the processing of four types of infant formulas. The indicators analysed were furosine, available lysine, pyrraline, and fluorescence intensity. The infant formulas were prepared in industrial and pilot plants under the same conditions (formulation and processing) by a Spanish dietary product company. The furosine and fluorescence intensity increased in all formulas and stages of manufacture. Furosine content ranged from 55 to 1937 mg/100 g of protein. Available lysine loss during processing ranged from 10% to 35%, although available lysine values were higher than 5 g/100 g of protein. The fluorescence intensity indicator showed higher sensitivity for partially hydrolysed formulas. No pyrraline was detected in any of the formulas. Fluorescence intensity, furosine, and available lysine are proposed as useful indicators for monitoring heat damage of protein during the manufacture of infant formulas.     

Marine and farmed fish in the Polish market: Comparison of the nutritional value

The proximate composition and fatty acids profiles of the muscle tissues of nine fish species that are popular on the Polish market were examined. The nine studied fish species were: Baltic fish (cod, herring, salmon), fish farmed in Poland (carp, trout), oceanic fish imported from China (walleye pollock, sole), and farmed fish imported from Vietnam and China (sutchi catfish, tilapia). The lowest lipid content (below 0.1%) was noted in the muscle tissues of Baltic cod and walleye pollock caught in the Pacific. The muscle tissue of walleye pollock also had the lowest protein content (12.2 ± 2.0%). The highest lipid content was noted in the muscle tissues of Baltic salmon (13.1 ± 2.4%). The highest percentage content of eicosapentaenoic (C20:5 n − 3 – EPA) and docosahexaenoic (C22:6 n − 3 – DHA) acids (over 40%) was noted in the fat extracted from the oceanic fish and Baltic cod. However, due to the low fat content, the concentrations of EPA + DHA in these fish species and in imported farmed fish expressed in mg/100 g of muscle tissues are the lowest and range on average from 24.8 ± 5.7 mg/100 g (sutchi catfish) to 207.4 ± 125.4 mg/100 g (sole). This is why the consumption of these fish species has no significant meaning for coronary heart disease prevention. Consumers with symptoms of cardiovascular diseases should include the following fish species, which have high concentrations of EPA + DHA: Baltic salmon (3807.2 ± 666.3 mg/100 g); Polish farmed trout (1804.0 ± 279.2 mg/100 g); and Baltic herring (940.9 ± 306.6 mg/100 g) in their diets. However, the consumption of Baltic salmon must be limited on account of the levels of persistent organic pollutants found in it.     

Cheese manufacture with milk with elevated conjugated linoleic acid levels caused by dietary manipulation

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of dietary supplementation of cows on pasture with sunflower oil for conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9, trans-11 CLA) enrichment of milk, for the production of CLA-enriched cheese. A group of 40 autumn-calving dairy cows were assigned to either a control group (indoor feeding on grass silage ad libitum and 6 kg/d of a typical indoor concentrate) or an experimental group (on pasture, being fed 6 kg of a supplement containing 100 g/kg of sunflower oil per d). These diets were fed for 16 d, during which time milk was collected for pilot-scale hard cheese manufacture. The pasture-based diet with sunflower oil resulted in a significant effect on the milk fatty acid CLA content. The concentration of cis-9, trans-11 CLA in the milk produced from cows on this diet increased to 2.22 g/100 g of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) after 14 d, compared with 0.46 g/100 g of FAME in milk produced on the control indoor diet. The content of cis-9, trans-11 CLA in the cheese manufactured from the indoor control milk was 0.78 g/100 g of FAME and that from the pasture-based sunflower oil milk was 1.93 g/100 g of FAME. The cheese was assessed during the ripening period and CLA concentrations were stable throughout the 6 mo of ripening. Other cheese variables (microbiology, composition, flavor, free AA) were monitored during the ripening period, and the cheese with the elevated CLA concentrations compared favorably with the control cheese. Thus, a pasture-based diet supplemented with an oil source rich in linoleic acid resulted in an enhanced CLA content of bovine milk fat, compared with an indoor grass silage-based diet.     

Effects of some commercial additives on the quality of sucuk (Turkish dry-fermented sausage)

The effects of some commercial additives on the quality of sucuk (Turkish dry-fermented sausage) were investigated during the ripening and storage periods. Microbial, chemical and sensory changes were followed for 15 days of ripening and 36 days of storage. Aerobic plate count (APC) increased (P < 0.05) from 5.19 to 6.09 log CFU/g during the first 10 days of ripening and afterwards decreased (P < 0.05) to 3.69 log CFU/g. APC and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) changed significantly (P < 0.05) with time and additives. LAB increased (P < 0.05) from 4.62 log CFU/g to about 5.47 log CFU/g during the first 10 days of the ripening period and decreased to 1.79 log CFU/g at the end of storage. Control sucuk without additives had the highest level of mould and yeast counts (5.09 log CFU/g). TBARS values increased gradually (P < 0.05) from 0.61 to 1.73 mg/kg and tyramine concentrations varied from 56.8 to 419 mg/kg. Control sucuk was found to have the lowest overall sensory quality (P < 0.05), and nitrate/nitrite concentration increased (P < 0.05) the overall sensory quality of the sausages. Pearson’s correlation test indicated that there was a link (P < 0.01) between the overall sensory quality and pH, TBARS values, mould and yeast counts, and putrescine concentration.     

The effects of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) oil concentration on liquid-smoked vacuum-packed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792) fillets during chilled storage

This study examined the effects of thyme oil on chemical properties, microbiological changes, and sensory quality in vacuum-packed liquid-smoked rainbow trout fillets under chilled storage. After 150 days of storage, the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values were 30.52, 27.5 and 39.43 mg/100 g, and total viable counts (TVC) were 5.34, 4.96 and 5.53, for thyme oil additions of 10 (T10), 50 (T50) and 0 (control; T0) mL/L brine, respectively. The highest acceptable TVB-N value was adopted as 30 mg /100 g, corresponding to shelf lives of 135, 150, and 105 days for T10, T50, and T0, respectively. T50 addition of thyme oil to liquid-smoked rainbow fillets extended shelf life T10 and T50, gave acceptable sensory quality and limited microbiological growth during chilled storage.     

Effect of storage conditions on furosine formation in milk–cereal based baby foods

The effect of storage during 9 months at 25, 30 and 37 °C on furosine formation in three milk–cereal based baby foods was studied to evaluate development of the Maillard reaction. Furosine was measured by HPLC-UV. Immediately after the manufacturing process, furosine contents were 310–340 mg/100 g protein and at the 9th storage month were 426–603 mg/100 g protein. Storage time and temperature have a significant increase (p < 0.05) of furosine content during storage. Furosine contents were higher in sample containing honey than in those without honey. Interactions (p < 0.05) between storage time and temperature or type of sample were found. A predictive model equation of the evolution of furosine during storage explaining 80% of the variability in furosine content was obtained. The blockage of lysine through storage calculated using the furosine and total lysine provided values ranged from 9.5% to 18.1% for analysed baby foods.     

Gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric characterisation of triterpene alcohols and monomethylsterols in developing Olea europaea L. fruits

Five triterpene alcohols and four 4-monomethylsterols were identified by GC–MS during the ripening of Picholine olive. The quantitative characterisation of these compounds was performed using GC–FID. The results showed that the maximum level of total triterpene alcohols (263.68 mg/100 g oil) was reached at 26th week after the flowering date (WAF) of olive; whilst the highest level of total 4-monomethylsterols (234 mg/100 g oil) was attained at 24th WAF of fruit. The percentage of these two classes represented 20–33% of total phytosterols during olive maturity. 24-Methylene cycloartenol (12–207 mg/100 g oil) and cycloartenol (27–198 mg/100 g oil) were the predominant triterpene alcohols during the ripening of Picholine olive; whereas citrostadienol (30–161 mg/100 g oil) and cycloeucalenol (11–74 mg/100 g oil) were the main 4-monomethylsterol compounds followed by obtusifoliol and gramisterol. β-Amyrin, δ-amyrin and traroxerol were less present in Picholine olive and they accounted for 14% of total triterpene alcohols at complete maturity of fruit. The level of these methylsterols was overwhelmed by the amount of 4-desmethylsterols at each stage of Picholine olive maturity.     

Changes in major antioxidant components of tomatoes during post-harvest storage

The objective of this study was to study overall nutritional implication of storage on tomatoes (cv. Tradiro), harvested from a commercial greenhouse in Canterbury, New Zealand. The harvested tomatoes were stored at 7, 15 and 25 °C, for a period of 10 days. The soluble phenolics and ascorbic acid contents of tomatoes showed slight increases during storage, regardless of temperature. The mean lycopene content of tomatoes stored at 15 and 25 °C on the 10th day of storage was, approximately, 2-fold (7.5 mg/100 g) than of the tomatoes stored at 7 °C (3.2 mg/100 g). The soluble antioxidant activity increased from 17–27% during the storage period of tomatoes.     

Fructooligosaccharide fortification of selected fruit juice beverages: Effect on the quality characteristics

Fortification of selected fruit juice beverages (Pineapple, Mango and Orange juice) with fructooligosaccharides (FOSs), a low calorie prebiotic has been discussed. Results indicated that sucrose which is usually used as a sweetener in fruit juice beverages can be partially substituted with FOS without significantly affecting the overall quality. The fruit juice beverages were evaluated for physicochemical and sensory changes during 6 months storage period at ambient (25 ± 2 °C) and refrigeration temperature (4 °C). The pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and colour did not change significantly (P ≥ 0.05) during storage. The initial FOS content of pineapple, mango and orange juice beverages was 3.79, 3.45, and 3.62 g/100 mL. The FOS content of the fruit juice beverages stored at refrigeration temperature was 2.00-2.39 g/100 mL after 6 months of storage and 2.69-3.32, 1.65-2.08 and 0.38-0.58 g/100 mL at the second, fourth and sixth months of storage at ambient temperature respectively. The sensory analysis showed that the beverages were acceptable up to 4 and 6 months storage at ambient and refrigeration temperature respectively.     

Phenolic compounds in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) fruits: Composition in 27 cultivars and changes during ripening

Phenolic compounds in fruits of 27 cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) grown in Norway were characterised and quantified by HPLC-DAD-MSⁿ. Total phenolic content, calculated as the sum of the individual compounds, varied 2.3-fold among cultivars, i.e., from 57 to 133 mg/100 g of fw. There were significant differences among cultivars in concentration of all phenolic compounds. The highest variation between cultivars was found for cinnamoyl glucose (0.6-24.9 mg/100 g of fw). Concentration of anthocyanins, the most abundant class of phenolic compounds in the majority of the cultivars, varied from 8.5 to 65.9 mg/100 g of fw. Flavan-3-ols (11-45 mg/100 g of fw) and ellagitannins (7.7-18.2 mg/100 g of fw) contributed on average 28% and 14% to total phenolic contents in the strawberry cultivars, respectively. In three cultivars harvested at three stages of ripeness, anthocyanins and cinnamic acid conjugates were the compounds most affected by ripening. The anthocyanin profile for the individual cultivars was only slightly affected by ripening and growing conditions.     

Evaluation of microbial survival post-incidence on fresh Mozzarella cheese

Commercial fresh Mozzarella cheese is made by direct acidification and is stored dry or in water without salt addition. The cheese has a shelf life of 6 wk, but usually develops an off-flavor and loses textural integrity by 4 wk, potentially due to the lack of salt and high moisture that allow the outgrowth of undesirable bacteria. To understand how microbial incidence affects cheese quality and how incident pathogen-related bacteria are limited by salt level during refrigerated storage, we made fresh Mozzarella cheese with high (2%) and low (0.5%) salt. The high-salt cheese was packaged and stored dry. The low-salt cheese was packaged and stored either dry or in 0.5% salt brine. One portion of cheeses was evaluated for surviving incident microbes by aerobic plate counts, coliform counts, and psychrophilic bacterial counts, of which coliforms and psychrophiles were not detected over 9 wk. Aerobic plate counts remained at 100 to 300 cfu/g up to 2 wk but increased by 1,000- to 10,000-fold between 4 and 6 wk at all salt levels and storage conditions. Other portions of cheeses were inoculated with either Escherichia coli or Enterococcus faecalis, both of which increased by 100-fold over 90 d of storage. Interestingly, E. coli added to the cheese brine first grew in the brine by 100-fold before attaching to the cheese, whereas Ent. faecalis attached to the cheese within 24 h and grew only on the cheese. We conclude that incident bacteria, even from similar environments, may attach to cheese curd and survive differently in fresh Mozzarella cheese than in brine. Overall, 2% salt was insufficient to control bacterial growth, and slow-growing, cold- and salt-tolerant bacteria may survive and spoil fresh Mozzarella cheese.     

Greek dry-salted olives: Monitoring the dry-salting process and subsequent physico-chemical and microbiological profile during storage under different packing conditions at 4 and 20 °C

Naturally black olives cv. Thassos were processed in dry salt according to industrial procedure by uniformly dispersing 40 kg of coarse salt in 100 kg freshly harvested olives. Dry-salting process was monitored by measuring selected physico-chemical (weight loss, NaCl content, pH, a_w, reducing sugars) and microbiological parameters (total viable counts, lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteria, yeasts, pseudomonads). Total weight loss amounted to 21 g/100 g after 80 days of dry-salting. Salt content in the fruits increased to 7.4 g/100 g followed by a decrease in water activity from 0.98 to 0.76. The pH did not change significantly presenting a slight decrease from 5.25 to 4.92. The initial microflora of the fruits comprised of lactic acid bacteria (4.1 log₁₀ cfu/g), yeasts (5.7 log₁₀ cfu/g), enterobacteria (3.7 log₁₀ cfu/g ) and pseudomonads (4.0 log₁₀ cfu/g). In the end of dry-salting, no microbial groups were enumerated apart from yeasts, due to the low water activity of the product. After dry-salting, olives were packed in HDPE bags under air (control samples) and 100 ml/100 ml CO₂. Another lot of fruits was dipped in 1 g/100 ml solution of potassium sorbate for 10 min prior to packing in the same bags under aerobic conditions. All packages were stored at 4 and 20 °C for a period of 180 days. During storage, the microbial flora comprised of yeasts, while no lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteria, pseudomonads or Staphylococcus aureus were detected as the low water activity/high salt content does not favour their growth. At 4 °C, the population of yeasts declined steadily throughout storage, but to a different extend depending on the packing treatment. At 20 °C, only potassium sorbate was effective in suppressing yeast growth. All packing treatments prevented fungal growth at both storage temperatures, apart from the samples stored in air. The pH, a_w and salt content did not change significantly throughout storage.