Evaluation of cholesterol and lipid oxidation in raw and cooked minced beef stored under oxygen-enriched atmosphere

Oxygen-enriched modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) represents an important means to stabilize meat colour but may lead to an increase in lipid oxidation, influencing the acceptability and safety of the product. In this work, the effect on cholesterol and lipid susceptibility to oxidation was investigated in commercial minced beef held under MAP (80% O(2)/20% CO(2)). Cholesterol oxidation products (COPs), peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were determined, before and after pan frying, at 1, 8 and 15 days since packaging under refrigerated storage (3-4°C). 7α-Hydroxycholesterol, 7β-hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol were the more abundant COPs identified. COPs significantly increased in raw beef during storage: after 1, 8 and 15 days since packaging COPs were at the levels of 10.4, 30.7 and 60.5μg/g of fat, respectively. Cooking did not affect cholesterol oxidation in freshly packaged minced beef but led to a rise in COPs amount with respect to raw muscle after 8 and 15 days of storage. The trend in cholesterol oxidation reflected the progressive increase in lipid peroxidation rate brought by MAP conditions.     

Packaging-specific influence of chitosan on color stability and lipid oxidation in refrigerated ground beef

We examined the influence of chitosan on lipid oxidation and color stability of ground beef stored in different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems. Ground beef patties with chitosan (1%) or without chitosan (control) were packaged either in high-oxygen MAP (HIOX; 80% O₂ + 20% CO₂), carbon monoxide MAP (CO; 0.4% CO + 19.6% CO₂ + 80% N₂), vacuum (VP), or aerobic packaging (PVC) and stored at 1 °C. Chitosan increased (P < 0.05) redness of patties stored in PVC and CO, whereas it had no effect (P > 0.05) in HIOX. Chitosan patties demonstrated lower (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation than controls in all packaging. Control patties in PVC and HIOX exhibited greater (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation than those in VP and CO, whereas chitosan patties in different packaging systems were not different (P > 0.05) from each other. Our findings suggested that antioxidant effects of chitosan on ground beef are packaging-specific.     

Color stability of ground beef packaged in a low carbon monoxide atmosphere or vacuum

Ground beef was either packaged in an atmosphere of 0.4% CO, 30% CO₂, and 69.6% N₂ (CO-MAP) or vacuum. After storage (48 h, 2–3 °C), packages of CO-MAP and vacuum were opened and overwrapped with polyvinyl chloride. Other CO-MAP and vacuum packages were left intact. Packages were initially displayed for 7 days (2–3 °C). Intact packages were further displayed up to 35 days before being opened and displayed (1 or 3 days). Intact CO-MAP packaged ground beef was always more red than intact vacuum-packaged ground beef. Color was relatively stable for both types of intact packages over 35 days of display. Upon opening CO-MAP packaged ground beef, the red color decreased slower than in ground beef from vacuum packages.     

Combined effect of irradiation and modified atmosphere packaging on shelf-life extension of chicken breast meat: microbiological, chemical and sensory changes

In the present study the combined effect of gamma irradiation (2 and 4 kGy) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (30% CO₂/70% N₂ and 70% CO₂/30% N₂) on shelf life extension of fresh chicken meat stored under refrigeration was investigated. The study was based on microbiological (TVC, Pseudomonas spp., Lactic Acid Bacteria, Yeasts, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Enterobacteriaceae), physicochemical (pH, TBA, color) and sensory (odor, taste) changes occurring in chicken samples. Microbial populations were reduced by 1–5 log cfu/g for a given sampling day depending on the specific treatment. The effect was more pronounced in the case of the combination of MAP (70% CO₂/30% N₂) and the higher irradiation dose of 4 kGy. Of the chemical indicators of spoilage, TBA values for all treatments remained lower than 1 mg malondialdehyde (MDA)/kg meat throughout the 25 day storage period. pH values varied between 6.4 (day 0) and 5.9 (day 25). The values of the color parameters L*, a* and b* were not considerably affected by MAP. Irradiation resulted in a small increase of the parameter a*. Irradiation had a greater effect in extending the shelf life of chicken as compared to MAP. Sensory evaluation showed that the combination of irradiation at 4 kGy and MAP (70% CO₂/30% N₂) resulted in the highest shelf-life extension by 12 days compared to the air packaged samples.     

Measurement of lipid oxidation and porphyrins in high oxygen modified atmosphere and vacuum-packed minced turkey and pork meat by fluorescence spectra and images

This paper illustrates that fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging can be used to measure the extent and distribution of lipid oxidation in meat. Minced turkey thighs and pork semimembranosus muscles were stored for 7 and 12 days at 4°C in high oxygen (O(2)) modified atmosphere packages and vacuum. Turkey meat packed in high O(2) atmosphere was oxidised already after 7 days of storage. The sensory rancid odour score was 4.7 (on a scale from 1 to 9) and the TBARS value was 1.86mg MDA/kg. There was also an increase in fluorescence emission intensity in the 410-550nm region, which arises from lipid oxidation products. The combination of unsaturated fatty acids and access to O(2) resulted in lipid oxidation gradients in the turkey meat samples, and these gradients were clearly visualised by fluorescence images. In comparison, pork meat was more stable against lipid oxidation, with TBARS values <0.2mg MDA/kg and no development of fluorescent lipid oxidation products was detected. The fluorescence spectra measured in the present experiment suggest that turkey thighs and pork semimembranosus muscle in addition to protoporphyrin also have a natural content of Zn protoporphyrin. The porphyrin content was higher in pork meat than in turkey meat. It increased during storage time when the meat was packed in vacuum, and it decreased with O(2) availability. The distribution of porphyrins in the meat was visualised by fluorescence imaging.     

Cholesterol photosensitised oxidation of beef meat under standard and modified atmosphere at retail conditions

The effect of the fluorescent light exposure and type of packaging (normal atmosphere and oxygen-rich atmosphere) was evaluated on the oxidation parameters (peroxides and cholesterol oxidation products) of raw beef slices placed in packed vessels and refrigerated. The concentration of COPs in meat treated under modified atmosphere ranged from 0.15 to 0.52mg/100g meat (average value of 0.27mg COPs/100g meat), which was twice as much as the average COPs content (0.14mg/100g) of meat packed under air (0.04-0.27mg COPs/100g meat). The main cholesterol oxide was 7k, which represented about one third of the total cholesterol oxides, followed by 7β-OH (20-25% of total COPs), 7α-OH (about 20%) and β-epoxy (12-18%). In normal atmosphere, photoxidation was a superficial process, since an inverse correlation between meat slice weight and COPs content on a lipid basis was observed, unlike in a high oxygen (32%) atmosphere.     

Effect of modified atmospheres on microbiological, color and sensory properties of refrigerated pork

Pork loin samples were stored (4 °C) in nylon polyethylene plastic bags using different modified atmospheres packaging (MAP): vacuum, 100% CO₂ 99% CO₂ + 1% CO, 100% O₂ or 100% CO followed by vacuum. Throughout the storage period Pseudomonas growth was limited in loins packaged in all MAPs evaluated, except for 100% O₂. Psychrotrophs reached 10⁷ CFU g⁻¹ after 20 days of storage except for the loin samples in 100% O₂ MAP that present count above 10⁸ CFU g⁻¹. The 1% CO/99% CO₂ atmosphere was best for preserving the desirable pork loin color and the L* and a* values remained similar to the fresh meat values using this MAP. Pork loins in 99% CO₂/1% CO MAP obtained the highest consumer acceptance scores after 24 h of storage. These samples and those treated with CO and then vacuum packaged received the greatest acceptance scores even after 20 days of storage.     

High-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging system induces lipid and myoglobin oxidation and protein polymerization

Beef steaks from longissimus lumborum, semimembranosus, and adductor muscles (n = 10; respectively) were cut at 24 h postmortem, randomly assigned to either high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (HiOx-MAP; 80% O₂, 20% CO₂) or vacuum (VAC), and displayed for 9 days at 1 °C. HiOx-MAP packaged beef steaks had a rapid increase in lipid oxidation and a decrease in color stability during display. The steaks in HiOx-MAP had significantly lower tenderness and juiciness scores, and higher off-flavor scores compared to steaks in VAC. HiOx-MAP condition did not affect the postmortem degradation of troponin-T or desmin. Furthermore, autolysis of μ-calpain was not influenced by packaging. SDS–PAGE, immunoblotting, and diagonal-PAGE revealed oxidative cross-linking of myosin heavy chain in meat packaged in HiOx-MAP. These results suggest that the HiOx-MAP system may negatively affect meat quality characteristics by inducing lipid and myoglobin oxidation and cross-linking/aggregation of myosin by protein oxidation.     

Effect of varying the gas headspace to meat ratio on the quality and shelf-life of beef steaks packaged in high oxygen modified atmosphere packs

Beef steaks (M. longissimus dorsi) were stored in modified atmosphere packs (MAP) (80% O₂:20% CO₂) with gas headspace to meat ratios of 2:1, 1:1 and 0.5:1 for 14 days at 4 °C. The pH, surface colour, texture and microbiology of beef steaks were unaffected (P > 0.05) by varying the gas headspace to meat ratio. APLSR (ANOVA-partial least squares regression) and jack-knife uncertainty testing indicated that lipid oxidation (TBARS) was significantly positively correlated with days 10 (P < 0.05) and 14 (P < 0.001) of storage. Chemical and sensory detection of lipid oxidation in beef steaks were in agreement on day 14 of storage. The sensory quality and acceptability of beef steaks were similar in gas headspace to meat ratios of 2:1 or 1:1 and unacceptable in 0.5:1. Results indicate that pack size and gas volume can be reduced without negatively affecting fresh beef quality and shelf-life.     

含CO气调包装对冷却肉肉色的影响

以宰后冷却24h的猪背最长肌为材料,用四组含不同浓度CO的混合气体进行气调包装,于4±1℃下贮藏,分别在第0、5、1O、15、20天测定相关指标。结果表明：CO气调包装能明显改善肉色,并使冷却内在贮藏期中保持稳定的鲜红色。与无氧组相比,CO和O2的共同存在可以使冷却肉肉色更加自然。     

The microbiological condition of minced pork prepared at retail stores in Athens, Greece

Minced pork samples (n = 150) obtained from butchers' shops and supermarkets in Greece, during summer (n = 75) and winter (n = 75), were subjected to microbiological analysis. Microbial counts (log CFU/g) for the parameters tested were: total viable count (TVC), 6.8 ± 1.0; Pseudomonas spp., 6.4 ± 1.2; Brochothrix thermosphacta, 5.9 ± 1.1; lactic acid bacteria, 5.3 ± 1.0; yeasts and moulds, 4.6 ± 0.7; hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S)-producing bacteria, 4.3 ± 1.3; Enterobacteriaceae, 3.6 ± 1.2; total coliforms, 2.9 ± 1.1; Escherichia coli, 1.4 ± 0.7; Staphylococcus spp., 4.3 ± 1.0; S. aureus, 2.4 ± 0.9, and Listeria spp., 1.4 ± 0.6. The highest correlations were between TVC and pseudomonads, B. thermosphacta and H(2)S-producing bacteria, while the lowest were between total coliforms and all other groups of microorganisms except Enterobacteriaceae. The type of retail outlet and the seasonality of sampling did not have any significant effects (p>0.05) on minced pork meat quality. Interrelationships between (i) meat quality and shelf life, (ii) hygienic conditions during mince preparation and (iii) personnel hygiene were revealed.     

Rapid monitoring of the spoilage of minced beef stored under conventionally and active packaging conditions using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in tandem with chemometrics

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was exploited to measure biochemical changes within fresh minced beef in an attempt to rapidly monitor beef spoilage. Minced beef packaged either aerobically, under modified atmosphere and using an active packaging were held from freshness to spoilage at 0, 5, 10, and 15 °C. Frequent FTIR measurements were collected directly from the sample surface using attenuated total reflectance, in parallel the total viable counts of bacteria, the sensory quality and the pH were also determined.     

Effects of storage under a modified atmosphere on the microbiological and organoleptic qualities of ground beef prepared from pasteurized manufacturing beef

A 40‐kg lot of manufacturing beef, i.e. meat used for the production of ground beef products, was collected at a beef packing plant. The lot was divided into two batches. One batch was pasteurized by immersion in water at 85 °C for 60 s, the other batch was not pasteurized. Both batches were then ground. The ground meat was packed in overwrapped trays, which were master packaged under a modified atmosphere of 70% O₂ : 30% CO₂. The master packs were stored at 2 °C for up to 12 days. At the time of pack preparation and at 2‐day intervals, a master pack containing pasteurized and another pack containing unpasteurized meat, were opened and retail packs from each master pack were displayed at 4 °C for 3 days. Samples for microbiological analysis were obtained at the times of opening master packs and at the end of display. Displayed meat was assessed daily for colour, discoloration and retail appearance, and for odour intensity and acceptability at the end of display. After either a period of storage or a period of storage and display, the numbers of bacteria recovered from pasteurized meat were less than the numbers recovered from unpasteurized meat. The colour of pasteurized meat was perceived as being paler than that of unpasteurized meat, but discoloration was similar or less, and retail appearance was similar or better for pasteurized than unpasteurized meat at all times. The odours of displayed, pasteurized meat were generally somewhat less intense and more acceptable than those of unpasteurized meat. The findings indicate that pasteurization of manufacturing beef to improve the microbiological safety of ground beef provides a product of acceptable appearance and enhanced stability during storage under a modified atmosphere and subsequent display in air.     

Color-stabilizing effect of lactate on ground beef is packaging-dependent

Previous research on lactate-induced color stability in ground beef did not address the potential influence of packaging. The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of lactate on the color stability of ground beef patties stored in different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems. Ground beef patties with either 2.5% potassium lactate or no lactate were packaged in vacuum (VP), high-oxygen MAP (HIOX; 80% O₂ + 20% CO₂), carbon monoxide MAP (CO; 0.4% CO + 19.6% CO₂ + 80% N₂), or aerobic packaging (PVC) and stored for 0, 2, or 4 days at 2 °C. Lactate-treated patties were darker (P < 0.05; lower L∗ values) than control patties. Surface redness (a∗ values) was greater (P < 0.05) for lactate patties than the controls when stored in PVC, HIOX, and VP. However, lactate’s effects on a∗ values were not evident when packaged in CO (P > 0.05). The color-stabilizing effect of CO could have masked lactate’s effect on surface redness. While lactate patties in PVC and VP demonstrated lower (P < 0.05) discoloration than controls, no differences (P > 0.05) existed between controls and lactate samples in CO and HIOX. Our results indicated that the effects of lactate on ground beef color are dependent on packaging.     

Effect of muscle,ageing time and modified atmosphere packaging conditions on the colour,oxidative and microbiological stability of packed beef

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of two different vacuum ageing times (7 and 14 days) and the impact of the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) configuration (gas/product ratios: 0.5 and 1 and gas composition: 70% O₂ + 30% CO₂ and 40% O₂ + 30% CO₂ + 30% N₂) on the quality of fresh beef during subsequent storage at 4 °C. For this purpose, three separate experiments were performed. For each experiment, two different muscles (Longissimus dorsi and Biceps femoris) were sampled from four double‐muscled Belgian Blue beef carcasses. Next to colour, also the evolution in microbial load, pH, O₂ and CO₂ in the headspace and lipid oxidation at the meat surface were evaluated. A vacuum ageing for 14 days compared with 7 days resulted in a higher initial microbial load on the day of MAP packaging, which resulted finally in a significantly shorter shelf life. This ageing effect was less pronounced on the colour stability and lipid oxidation of the meat samples. No significant influence of the packaging configuration on any of the analysed parameters (colour, microbial load, pH and lipid oxidation at the meat surface) was observed.     

Effects of packaging method and storage time on the chemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of Turkish pastirma - A dry cured beef product

The effects of packaging method (aerobic packaging (AP), vacuum packaging (VP) or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)), the form of pastirma (sliced or non-sliced) and storage time (0, 15, 30, 60, 90 or 120 days) on the chemical, microbiological and sensory properties of a Turkish pastirma were investigated. Overall, MAP preserved chemical, microbiological and sensory properties of Turkish pastirma better than AP or VP. Very high correlation coefficients (almost all >0.90) were observed between subjective quality parameters (sensory properties) and objective quality parameters (TBARS, hexanal content, L^*, a^*, and b^*), which suggests that sensory panel was able to determine the quality changes over storage time precisely. Based on the results of this study, MAP should be the preferred choice of packaging in order to preserve overall quality of Turkish pastirma and its implication for pastirma packaging may increase pastirma’s current share in the processed meat product market.     

Evaluation of freshness decay of minced beef stored in high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaged at different temperatures using NIR and MIR spectroscopy

Meat freshness has been monitored by various microbiological, chemical and sensorial indices. However, these methods are slow and not suited to automation. Infrared spectroscopy is one of the most convenient analytical tools which could be used to monitor the evolution of food quality. The aim of this work was to investigate the ability of both NIR (Near Infrared) and MIR (Mid Infrared) spectroscopy to follow meat freshness decay. The minced beef was packaged in high-oxygen modified atmosphere (30% CO₂ and 70% O₂) and stored at three temperatures. Spectra were collected by Fourier-Transformation (FT)-NIR and FT-IR instruments. PCA, applied to the data, was able to discriminate samples on the basis of storage time and temperature. The modelling of PC scores versus time allowed the setting of the time of initial freshness decay for the samples (6–7 days at 4.3 °C, 2–3 days at 8.1 °C and less than 1 day at 15.5 °C).     

基于单纯形-重心设计优化气调包装冷鲜猪肉的气体比例

为优化冷鲜猪肉气调包装的气体比例,增强其保鲜效果,以菌落总数、挥发性盐基氮（TVB-N）值、p H和感官品质为指标,基于单纯形-重心设计考察O₂、CO₂和N₂的不同配比对冷鲜猪肉的品质维持作用。通过与托盘包装的对照组比较发现,适宜的气体配比能有效抑制冷鲜猪肉中微生物的生长、减少TVB-N的生成、保持产品的感官品质,且各指标两两之间均存在极显著的相关性（p<0.01）。以三种气体各自所占体积百分比为因素,筛选产品贮藏至第8 d和第10 d的菌落总数、TVB-N值及二者加权值为响应值,建立6套回归模型并分别优化得到6组气体配比方案。通过验证确定冷鲜猪肉气调保鲜的最佳气体比例为22%O₂和78%CO₂,在此条件下贮藏至第8 d的菌落总数和TVB-N值分别为5.85 lg（cfu/g）和14.00 mg/100 g,相比对照组可延长产品货架期达5 d。      

Combined effect of oregano essential oil and modified atmosphere packaging on shelf-life extension of fresh chicken breast meat, stored at 4 degrees C

The combined effect of oregano essential oil (0.1% and 1% w/w) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (30% CO2/70% N2 and 70% CO2/30% N2) on shelf-life extension of fresh chicken meat stored at 4 degrees C was investigated. The parameters that were monitored were: microbiological (TVC, Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts, Brochothrix thermosphacta and Enterobacteriaceae), physico-chemical (pH, TBA, color) and sensory (odor and taste) attributes. Microbial populations were reduced by 1-5 log cfu/g for a given sampling day, with the more pronounced effect being achieved by the combination of MAP and oregano essential oil. TBA values for all treatments remained lower than 1 mg malondialdehyde (MDA) kg(-1) throughout the 25-day storage period. pH values varied between 6.4 (day 0) and 5.9 (day 25). The values of the color parameters L*, a* and b* were not considerably affected by oregano oil or by MAP. Finally, sensory analysis showed that oregano oil at a concentration of 1% imparted a very strong taste to the product for which reason these lots of samples were not scored. On the basis of sensory evaluation a shelf-life extension of breast chicken meat by ca. 3-4 days for samples containing 0.1% oregano oil, 2-3 days for samples under MAP and 5-6 days for samples under MAP containing 0.1% of oregano oil was attained. Thus oregano oil and MAP exhibited an additive preservation effect.     

Effect of white grape extract and modified atmosphere packaging on lipid and protein oxidation in chill stored beef patties

The oxidative stability of beef patties added 500 ppm white grape extract (WGE), packed in four different modified atmospheres (MAP) with varying oxygen and carbon dioxide levels (70% or 0% O₂, 30% or 0% CO₂, balanced with N₂ in all four combinations) and stored for up to 9 days (4 °C) was evaluated by a sensory panel, formation of TBARS, formation of protein carbonyl, appearance of myosin cross-links, and thiol loss. Formation of secondary lipid oxidation products, as detected by TBARS, and the rancidity, as perceived by sensory analysis, were inhibited in WGE beef patties independent of MAP compared to control beef patties. The protein carbonyl formation was also reduced in WGE beef patties, but no significant effects were observed in relation to different MAP. Loss of thiol groups in control beef patties was consistent with the formation of myosin cross-linkages. In the presence of WGE, thiol groups decreased faster but showed less myosin cross-link formation compared to control beef patties, indicating that WGE interacts with the thiol groups of the myofibrillar proteins, and thus reduces the cross-link formation in beef patties stored in high-oxygen MA.