Effects of slightly acidic low concentration electrolyzed water on microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory quality of fresh chicken breast meat

Anticmicrobial effect of slightly acidic low concentration electrolyzed water (SlALcEW) and strong acidic electrolyzed water (StAEW) on fresh chicken breast meat was evaluated in this study. Meat samples each of 10 ± 0.2 g in weight and 2.5 × 2.5 cm2 in size were experimentally inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19115) and Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC 14028) and subjected to dipping treatment (22 ± 2 °C for 10 min) with SlALcEW and StAEW. Shelf-life study was conducted for inoculated and noninoculated meat samples treated with SlALcEW and StAEW at storage temperatures of 5, 15, and 25 °C. Dipping treatment with electrolyzed water significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the background and inoculated pathogens compared to untreated controls. The reduction of 1.5 to 2.3 log CFU/g was achieved by SlALcEW and StAEW against background flora, L. monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the SlALcEW and StAEW treatments efficacy. Comparing treated samples to untreated controls showed that SlALcEW and StAEW treatments extended the shelf life of chicken meat at different temperatures with marginal changes of sensory quality. Although SlALcEW and StAEW treatments showed similar antimicrobial effects but SlALcEW was more beneficial in practical application for its semineutral pH and low chlorine content. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Food safety issues have led to development of new sanitizers to eliminate spoilage and pathogenic organisms in food. This study provides the foundation for further application of slightly acidic low concentration electrolyzed water (SlALcEW) as a sanitizing agent in meat industry. SlALcEW can be produced on site on demand and no chemicals are necessary except NaCl solution. It does not leave any residue in food due to low chlorine concentration and it is safe to handle for its semineutral pH.     

Combination of heat treatment and chitosan coating to improve postharvest quality of wolfberry (Lycium barbarum)

The synergistic application of hot water dip at 42 °C for 30 min and 1% chitosan coating on differentiation in postharvest quality traits, microstructure as well as microbiological evolution of wolfberry fruits was investigated. Fresh wolfberry fruits were stored at 2 ± 0.5 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH) for 28 days. Results indicated the combination of prestorage heat treatment and chitosan coating maintained higher levels of ascorbic acid, total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity as well as lower decay, compared with untreated wolfberry fruits. The possible mechanism was that the heat treatment almost sealed open stomata to limit the sites of pathogen penetration into fruits independently, followed by the biofilm formed by chitosan which controlled secondary infections as well as slowed changes in fruit respiration and metabolic activity in wolfberries. The synergistically treated fruit also exhibited a higher acceptability obtained by sensory analysis after cold storage. In this sense, the integrated application of heat treatment and chitosan coating could be regarded as an effective strategy to extend storage life and maintain the postharvest quality of wolfberry fruits.     

乳酸湿热处理改善大米粉性质及粉条品质的研究

主要研究乳酸湿热处理对大米粉性质及其干粉条和湿粉条品质的影响。以水磨籼米粉为原料,通过不同浓度乳酸、湿热以及乳酸与湿热联用的方法对米粉进行处理,研究不同条件下制备的大米粉的糊化特性、溶解度、膨胀率以及干粉条和湿粉条的蒸煮品质和质构品质。实验结果表明:乳酸湿热处理对大米粉糊化特性影响显著,大米粉通过湿热处理、乳酸处理、乳酸湿热联用处理后,大米粉的峰值黏度、谷值黏度、衰减值、最终黏度、回生值都有所降低。在乳酸处理(pH=4)时,峰值黏度最高。乳酸湿热处理对大米粉的溶解度和膨胀度都有一定的影响,与原样相比,被处理过的样品其溶解度、膨胀度都逐渐降低。在粉条蒸煮品质测定中,乳酸处理(pH=4)后,干粉条和湿粉条的断条率、蒸煮损失率都达到最低。在粉条质构品质测定中,经过湿热处理、乳酸处理和乳酸湿热联用处理三种方法处理以后,湿粉条的硬度、咀嚼性均有所下降,在乳酸处理(pH=4)时,湿粉条的弹性达到最大;在湿热处理、乳酸处理和乳酸湿热联用处理中,干粉条的黏度有所下降,在乳酸(pH=4)时,干粉条的弹性达到最大。最终结果:在乳酸处理(pH=4)时,对改善大米粉性质及粉条品质的效果是最优的。     

Comparison of γ-aminobutyric acid accumulation capability in different mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) varieties under heat and relative humidity treatment,and its correlation with endogenous amino acids and polyamines

In this study, the accumulation of GABA and its inherent factors across different varieties of mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) in response to heat and relative humidity (HRH) were investigated. Results showed the average GABA content in mung bean varieties was increased 7.52 times following HRH treatment, and the black mung bean variety (A8) exhibited the highest GABA accumulation capability (1.76–84.57 mg per 100 g DW). From the perspective of GABA shunt metabolites, the free glutamic acid content of mung beans significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after HRH treatment and presented a significant correlation (P < 0.05) with GABA content. In polyamine degradation pathway, although the average levels of spermine and spermidine of mung bean varieties significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after HRH treatment, no significant correlation with GABA content was identified. Hence, the GABA accumulation was predominantly attributed to GABA shunt. Besides, free amino acids including glutamic acid, serine, ornithine, arginine and glycine in mung beans showed a significant positive correlation (P < 0.05) with GABA content and increment following HRH treatment, which suggested that mung beans enriched in these free amino acids might accumulate higher amounts of GABA after HRH treatment and be useful for industrial applications.