Image texture features as indicators of beef tenderness

Image processing techniques were developed to predict cooked-beef tenderness from fresh-beef image characteristics. Cattle from different finishing treatments were processed in a commercial plant. Two short loin steaks were sampled from each carcass; one used for sensory evaluation and the other for imaging. The samples varied significantly in both US quality grades and sensory tenderness scores. Color, marbling and texture features were extracted from the beef images. Statistical and neural network analyses were performed to relate the image features to sensory tenderness scores. Image texture features were found to be useful indicators of beef tenderness. Partial least squares and neural network models were able to predict beef tenderness from color, marbling and image texture features to R(2)-values up to 0.70.     

Effects of Different Chilling Methods on Hot Processed Vacuum Packaged Pork

Longissimus muscle (loin section) was removed from each side of 24 pork carcasses within 20 min postmortem. Each muscle was divided in half (N = 96 sections), vacuum packaged and allotted to one of four treatments: (1) normal chilling, (2) propylene glycol immersion, (3) crust freezing, or (4) high temperature conditioning and four storage intervals (N = 6) or 0, 7, 14 or 28 days. Rapid chilling with propylene glycol increased (P<0.05) purge. Shear force values were increased when loins were rapidly chilled (P<0.05) but few sensory differences were observed. Off-odor scores increased (P<0.05) with increasing storage time. Normal chilling resulted in lighter muscle color scores than rapidly chilled loin sections. Rapid chilling does not have a beneficial effect on palatability or shelf life of hot-processed fresh pork.     

基于SVM方法的猪肉新鲜度分类问题研究

文中采取减压贮藏方式对新鲜猪肉进行了贮藏实验,测定了不同贮藏时间样品的挥发性盐基氮含量(TVB-N)、细菌总数、pH值及感官评价数据,并运用支持向量机(support vector machine,SVM)对这些样本数据进行训练,选取不同的核函数,得到SVM神经网络模型,随后利用此模型对测试数据进行猪肉新鲜度分类预测。实验表明,根据样本特性进行数据预处理,且选取合适的核函数后,SVM神经网络能得到极高的猪肉新鲜度正确分类率。     

A comparison of dry and wet aging on physicochemical and sensory characteristics of pork loin with two aging times

This study investigated the effects of aging methods (wet aging and dry aging) and aging times (7 and 14 days) on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of meat quality using pork loin. Dry-aged loin (DA) had significantly lower moisture content and higher crude fat protein content than wet-aged loin (WA). The pH of DA was significantly higher than that of WA and it increased with the aging time. DA showed lower cooking loss and higher aging loss than WA (p?<?0.001). Lipid oxidation and metmyoglobin content of DA were higher than those of WA (p?<?0.001). Shear force in DA was lower than that in WA (p?<?0.001) and myofibril protein index (MFI) increased in DA. In addition, DA recorded higher scores of roast color, flavor and overall acceptability compared to WA. These results suggested that the application of dry-aging on pork improved physicochemical, textural and sensory characteristics.     

Beef Marbling and Color Score Determination by Image Processing

Sixty steaks with various degrees of marbling and color were subjected to sensory evaluation and image processing. Marbling and color scores were assigned to each steak with USDA marbling score cards and a lean color guide. Images were recorded for each steak under the same conditions as used for sensory analysis. Steak images were processed for color and marbling characteristics. Image processing effectively predicted the lean color (R²= 0.86) and marbling scores (R²= 0.84). Image processing was an effective tool for determining USDA quality attributes of fresh meat.     

EFFECTS OF INJECTION OF A DILUTE PHOSPHATE-SALT SOLUTION ON PORK CHARACTERISTICS FROM PSE, NORMAL AND DFD CARCASSES

Phosphate-salt pump effects were evaluated on sensory characteristics of pale, soft, exudative (PSE) pork, normal and dark, firm and dry (DFD) pork. Water-holding capacity, instrumental color (L*, a*, b*), pH, and muscle color scores were determined at 24 h postmortem on pork loin pairs (n=21 pairs). Based on color score, paired loins were assigned to PSE, normal or dark, firm, dry groups. PSE muscles were lighter, redder and more yellow than normal or DFD muscles; hue angle indicated that DFD muscles were actually closer to the true red axis of the CIE Lab Color Space. Drip and purge losses were higher (p<0.05) in PSE muscles. Paired loins were pumped with water (controls) or 0.3% tripolyphosphate solution (0.25% salt) to 110% of original weight, vacuum packaged, frozen, cut into chops, and cooked to 70 or 80C. Phosphate-salt pumped loins were juicier and more tender (p<0.05) than water-pumped loins regardless of muscle condition. Loins cooked to 70C were juicier, were more tender (sensory) but required more force to shear than those cooked to 80C.     

Objective determination of pork marbling scores using the wide line detector

Marbling is an important factor in evaluating pork quality and can be estimated by marbling scores based on the official marbling standards. The marbling score is normally assessed by experienced graders by comparing pork chops with the standardized chart system. In this paper, the potentials of automatic objective prediction of marbling scores were studied. The region of interest (ROI) of the marbling standards and the pork samples was automatically determined for marbling extraction. Marblings were regarded as kind of line patterns and thereby extracted by the wide line detector. Proportion of marblings (PM) was used for determinating the marbling score. The stepwise procedure was employed to select prediction models. A multiple linear regression equation was used as the initial model of the procedure and the PM of marbling standards at all three channels as potential variables. Three models were developed by the stepwise procedure with different first entry variable of the initial model. The multiple linear model obtained by the PM of marbling standards at all three RGB channels outperformed the two simple linear models respectively developed at the green and blue channels. The adjusted coefficient of determination (R²) of the multiple linear model was 0.9992 and the root mean square error of leave-one-out cross-validation (RMSECV) was 0.0938. Forty pork loin samples were used to predict marbling scores. The prediction results of the three models showed that the prediction ability of the simple linear model developed at the blue channel was comparable with the multiple linear model.     

Effects of distribution packaging method and storage time on the physical properties and retail display characteristics of pork

The sensory characteristics of pork chops from bone-in loins and Boston butts (n = 65 each) were affected little by primal loin and the butt packaging method (paper wrap, vacuum pack and gas flush) and storage time (7, 10 and 14 days) under industry conditions. However, loin chops fabricated from vacuum-packaged loins after 14 days of storage had less (P < 0·05) discoloration and two-toning than chops fabricated from other loins. All loin chops were placed in retail display and overwrapped with a polyvinyl chloride film after fabrication at each storage time. Vacuum-packed butts stored for 10 and 14 days produced chops with less discoloration and two-toning, and higher overall appearance scores (P < 0·05) compared to chops from paper-wrapped or gas-flushed cuts. Vacuum-packaging resulted in higher quality retail cuts than paper-wrapped or gas-flushed packaging. Thus, it is recommended that the pork industry and retail distribution system utilize vacuum-packaging as the primary method to store and ship fresh pork before retail sale.     

辅料黏合剂的添加对调理猪排品质的影响

以猪颈背肉为主要原料,研究转谷氨酰胺酶(TG)、酪蛋白酸钠(SC)、复配胶(卡拉胶和魔芋胶1:1)对调理猪排品质的影响。通过单因素实验,研究转谷氨酰胺酶、酪蛋白酸钠、复配胶的添加对调理猪排剪切力、离心损失、蒸煮损失、水分含量、色差、出品率、感官评分的影响。在单因素实验的基础上,进行响应面试验,确定粘合剂的最优添加量。单因素结果表明,TG添加量为0.60%时,保水性及感官评分最高,酪蛋白酸钠添加量为0.10%,或复配胶(卡拉胶和魔芋胶1:1)添加量为0.20%时,既能保证适宜的嫩度与保水性,感官评分也最高。响应面试验结果表明,在转谷氨酰胺酶添加量为0.70%、酪蛋白酸钠添加量为0.07%、复配胶添加量为0.21%时,所加工的调理猪排的感官评分最高,总分60分时,得分为55.54。     

Prediction of Pork and Lamb Meat Quality Characteristics

A two-factor central composite rotatable design and corresponding response surface analysis were successfully applied to data from pork and lamb loin roasts, using cooking temperature and endpoint temperature as the two independent variables. Heating rate (°C/min), evaporation loss, cooking time, total moisture, and chromaticity coordinate (z) were found to be significantly affected (p ≤ 0.10) by different combinations of cooking temperatures and endpoint temperatures in pork and lamb. Additional significant variables for pork were total nitrogen, remaining protein fraction and sensory panel juiciness; and for lamb, heating rate (°C/g), drip loss, total cooking loss, expressible moisture index, total nitrogen, chromaticity coordinate (×), saturation index, and sensory panel doneness and color. Response surfaces were useful in evaluating results.     

Effect of vitamin E, low dose irradiation, and display time on the quality of pork

A 4×2×3 factorial experiment was designed to investigate the effect of supplemental vitamin E (0, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg feed), irradiation and days in display on quality characteristics of aerobically packaged ground pork and vacuum packaged loin chops. Color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), olfactory and sensory characteristics were evaluated. Samples held in display for 3 d were used for sensory evaluation. In the ground pork, irradiation (1.9 kGy) increased "wetdog" flavor, increased a(*) (redness) and decreased L(*) (lightness) and b(*) (yellowness) values but had no effect on TBARS. However, as display time (0, 4, and 8 days) increased; the differences in a(*) values diminished and putrefying and fishy odors were higher in non-irradiated samples than irradiated. Supplemented vitamin E had no effect on TBARS, odor, and color measures; but increased the juiciness of ground pork regardless of irradiation. Similarly, in the loin chops, irradiation (1.5 kGy) increased a(*) value and "wetdog" flavor; but decreased b(*) value regardless of vitamin E supplementation. Also, irradiation reduced putrefying, and fishy odors during longer display times. TBARS increased with increased display time but was not affected by vitamin E supplementation. These results indicate that in aerobically packaged ground pork and vacuum packaged loin chops, radiolytic odors and color changes cannot be mediated with vitamin E supplementation. Display time and irradiation are significant in determining color and odor changes.     

3种天然香辛料液对冷却肉的保鲜效果

利用超声波辅助提取香辛料液,得到八角、白胡椒、肉桂的不同质量浓度水提取液,用以处理冷却猪通脊肉,并考查其在0～4℃贮藏条件下的保鲜效果.通过测定菌落总数、TVB-N值、汁液流失率、感官评分等指标,对冷却猪肉新鲜度进行综合评价.结果表明:八角、白胡椒、肉桂的水提取液质量浓度分别为0.2、0.05、0.05g/100mL时,对冷却猪肉具有良好的保鲜效果.在单因素试验的基础上,进行正交试验,通过感官评分和1/TVB-N值进行综合评价.结果表明:0.2g/100mL八角、0.02g/100mL白胡椒、0.1g/100mL肉桂复合保鲜液对冷却猪肉的保鲜效果较好.     

Effect of different production typologies on chemical,physical and sensory characteristics of Italian commercial pork

BACKGROUND: Slaughter weight could influence some chemical, physical and sensory characteristics of pork production. The aim was to compare loin quality from pigs slaughtered at 120 kg or at 160 kg live weight, representing two different Italian lines of commercial production. RESULTS: Physical and chemical traits were affected by slaughter weight, but lower values of moisture (P < 0.01) and higher fat content (P < 0.05) were found in heavy pork loin; furthermore, increased slaughter weight resulted in redder, yellower and more intense colour (P < 0.05). Slaughter weight did not influence the purchase intent or consumer preference, except for fresh meat colour (P < 0.05) preferred in light pigs. A selected and trained panel carried out a difference‐from‐control test, showing that heavy pig loin was redder, more marbled, moister, sweeter, saltier, and had a more metallic flavour and lower tenderness than the light one (P < 0.05). The colour difference of raw meat is the only parameter detected by the consumers. CONCLUSION: Different production typologies affected chemical and physical characteristics of loin. Moreover sensory evaluation showed substantial differences between the loin samples. However, the purchase intent and consumer preference were not influenced by these two production typologies. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

SODIUM LACTATE EFFECTS ON THE STABILITY OF FRESH AND CURED PORK LONGISSIMUS

Boneless pork loins sliced into 1.9 cm fresh chops were dipped to retain 0, 1.5 or 3% sodium lactate (SL) and packaged in polyvinylchloride (PVC) or vacuum-packaged (VP), Color of fresh chops was monitored visually and objectively. Boneless pork loins were cured by injection with 0, 1.5 or 3% SL, or were dipped after slicing to retain 0, 1.5 or 3% SL. Cure for the dipped loins contained no SL. Color and aerobic plate count (APC) of vacuum-packaged chops were evaluated over 70 days of retail storage (4C). Visual color was darker (P < 0.05) and L* values were lower (P < 0.05) for 3% SL-dipped fresh chops. Fresh chops containing 1.5 and 3% SL had higher a* values than controls. Surface discoloration of 3% SL fresh chops was lower (P < 0.05) than control chops. Cured injected chops (3% SL) had lower (P < 0.05) L* values than dipped chops or injected controls. L*, a* and b* values of cured dipped chops (3% SL) were not different (P > 0.05) from controls. No consistent trends were found in APC of cured chops. Injection of SL prior to cooking darkened the color of cured pork loin chops.     

微波解冻猪里脊肉过程的优化设计研究 Key words:

猪肉在我国是最重要的肉类之一,而为了储存更长时间,通常采用冷冻的方式保存。因此,在进一步加工之前就需要经过解冻这一过程,传统的解冻方式耗时长,严重制约了生产效率。微波加热作为一种常用的加热方式,与传统加热方式相比,具有加热速度快、省时节能等突出优点。本文利用家用变频微波炉对冷冻猪里脊肉块进行解冻处理,对解冻程序进行了优化设计,并与微波炉自带的解冻程序进行了对比研究,对肉汁渗出率、色泽以及质构特性进行分析。结果表明：两种优化程序的解冻效果要优于微波炉自的解冻程序,样品能基本解冻完全,肉汁渗出率较低,能较好维持鲜肉的颜色,经过优化后的微波解冻猪里脊肉温差更小,质构特性更佳,同时也缩短了解冻时间。     

Do all the consumers accept marbling in the same way? The relationship between eating and visual acceptability of pork with different intramuscular fat content

Several reports show that intramuscular fat (IMF) and/or marbling affect the sensory acceptability of meat. The aim of the present work was to (1) investigate using Spanish consumers the eating and visual acceptability of pork with different levels of IMF, (2) understand more about this acceptability by studying segments of consumers and (3) determine which fresh pork characteristics are important at the point of purchase. Loin section (n = 40) were sorted into four IMF groups: 0.96 ± 0.30% (G1), 2.11 ± 0.07% (G2), 3.72 ± 0.26% (G3), and 5.78 ± 0.19% (G4). Consumers (n = 200) evaluated the acceptability, tenderness and juiciness of cooked loin chops from each IMF group and then ranked raw chops according to visual preference. Two groups of consumers--'lean loin lovers' (55.5%) and 'marbled loin lovers' (44.5%)--were identified based on their visual preferences; however, according to their eating acceptability scores, all the consumers preferred loins with higher IMF levels. Accordingly, the minimum IMF content recommended to ensure a good taste is between 2.2% and 3.4%.     

Phenotypic correlations among quality traits of fresh and dry-cured hams

In this study, fresh and processing quality traits were collected on a total of 312 Country Hams. Phenotypic correlations between traits were estimated and numerous values were significantly different (P<0.05) from zero. Yield was significantly correlated with several fresh pork quality traits measured on the fresh hams, including subjective color (0.34) and lipid percentage (0.32). Some meat color traits were significantly correlated, including associations between the color scores taken on the fresh and cured hams. Correlations between fresh pork quality traits were also determined, with results showing significant correlations between ultimate pH and other pork quality traits. The results indicate that yield can be maximized if hams with good fresh pork quality parameters are used for curing. The correlations estimates are helpful for understanding of the biological mechanisms behind the production of dry-cured hams and can potentially be used to improve the efficiency of the dry-cured ham production chain.     

电子鼻技术对猪肉挥发性盐基氮的预测研究

为预测不同肥瘦配比猪肉的新鲜度,对4℃恒温贮藏条件下的新鲜猪肉进行挥发性盐基总氮(Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen,TVB-N)检测和营养成分检测,同时利用电子鼻技术检测挥发性气味的信息。以传感器阵列特征值为自变量建立蛋白质、脂肪的回归预测模型,分别对不同肥瘦配比的猪肉样本建立不分类和分类2种TVB-N神经网络预测模型。结果表明:先分类再建立神经网络模型预测的效果更优,将样本进行二分类建立2个模型后,模型训练组的相关系数达0.994、0.985(p<0.01),预测组的相关系数达到0.984、0.979(p<0.01);模型的绝对误差小而且分布区间集中,训练组和预测组各有86%、62.6%的样本的绝对误差在0~1之间;训练组中没有绝对误差大于2.5的样本,预测组中仅有8.5%的样本绝对误差大于2.5。电子鼻传感器特征信号与TVB-N数据具有很强的相关性,电子鼻可以快速预测出不同肥瘦配比猪肉在贮藏期间TVB-N含量的变化,进而无损的评价猪肉的新鲜度。     

保鲜方式对鲜湿米粉品质的影响

通过分析鲜湿米粉的菌落总数、糊化特性、水分含量、色泽、提取液吸光度、质构特性及感官评分的变化,并观察鲜湿米粉凝胶微观结构,研究酸浸、水浴及酸浸+水浴处理对鲜湿米粉品质的影响。结果表明,与空白组相比,水浴组、酸浸组及酸浸+水浴组鲜湿米粉的淀粉糊黏度、衰减值和回生值显著（P<0.05）降低。水浴处理使鲜湿米粉的质构特性及感官评分得到提升,保质期延长。酸浸处理使鲜湿米粉的水分含量、色泽、提取液吸光度及黏性显著（P<0.05）增大,咀嚼硬度及弹性显著（P<0.05）减小,随着贮藏时间的延长菌落总数增加较慢,但综合品质劣变迅速,到后期凝胶结构破坏严重,感官评分显著（P<0.05）降低。酸浸+水浴处理使鲜湿米粉的初始品质得到提升,但弹性略小于水浴处理组,随着贮藏时间的延长菌落总数增加最慢,并且能始终保持较好的色泽、质构特性及感官评分。综合鲜湿米粉质构特性及感官评分,酸浸+水浴组的鲜湿米粉品质最好。     

Sensory and functional meat quality characteristics of pork derived from three halothane genotypes

The effect of the halothane gene in pigs on the meat and sensory qualities thereof were determined. Meat derived from 60 Landrace×Large White pigs of three halothane genotypes was used. The sensory qualities, cooking loss, colour, shear value and proximate analysis of the cooked pork loin roasts were determined. The three genotypes did not differ significantly (P>0.05) with regard to the colour of the cooked meat, percentage cooking loss and percentage moisture. There were significant differences (P<0.05) between the genotypes in the percentage protein, ash and fat. Meat from the three genotypes also differed significantly (P<0.05) in juiciness, an analytical sensory panel scored the juiciness of meat from the NN-genotype the highest with a value of 71.3 when using a structured line scale. Meat from the nn-genotype had the lowest score for juiciness (62.8). Meat from the three genotypes did not differ significantly (P>0.05) with regard to tenderness, pork flavour and no mealiness. Correlation values showed a positive correlation (r=0.46, P<0.05) between juiciness and tenderness. These results indicate that the inclusion of the halothane gene in pig production programmes results in meat with an inferior quality and it can be recommended to exclude the halothane positive genotype from any pig production system where fresh pork quality is considered a primary goal.