The influence of ante-mortem treatment on relationship between pH and tenderness of beef

Longissimus lumborum et thoracis muscles from 150 cattle comprising Czech Pied breed bulls and cows were used to investigate the relationship between pH value and beef tenderness as influenced by housing before slaughter and by the hanging mode of carcasses. The pH value was measured in the loin at the end of the slaughter-line (pH(0)) and after cooling of carcasses (pH(24),pH(48)). The texture of raw meat was measured 72h post-mortem by the Warner-Bratzler shear method; the shear force was related to pH. Curvilinear relationships with coefficients of correlation r=0.64 (P<0.05) for bulls individually housed and r=0.83 for bulls housed in groups between the shear force and the pH value 24h p.m. were found with maximal shear force (the most tough meat) in the range of pH(24) from 6.2 to 6.4. Lower correlations (r=0.72 and r=0.54) between pH(24) and meat tenderness were found in the case of cows individually housed and housed in groups, respectively. No significant relationships were found between texture and pH measured at the end of the slaughter-line (r=0.59 for bulls and r=0.65 for cows) and 48h post-mortem (r=0.64 for bulls and r=0.50 for cows). The mode of housing of cattle before slaughter influenced the properties of beef significantly. Meat of bulls housed in groups before slaughter was less tender (the shear force was higher) than meat of bulls individually housed. It could be explained by higher depletion of glycogen before slaughter and thus insufficient pH decline. Generally, the meat of cows was more tender than of bulls irrespective of housing. No significant differences were found between the left and right halves of carcasses. Thus the mode of hanging had no influence on beef tenderness.     

高压直流输电与其关键技术的研究

高压直流输电（HVDC）拥有增加送电距离、扩展输电电容量等优点,能够有效解决输电网中大容量、远距离和高电压输电问题,可以实现电网的互联,其应用前景相当广阔。本文先简要介绍了HVDC的发展情况,然后总结了HVDC主要的优缺点,之后分析了其技术特点以及使用的关键技术,并对HVDC的应用前景作了简要介绍。本文能够在高压直流输电的建设中起到一定的借鉴和指导效果。     

Improved sauerkraut production with probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum L4 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides LMG 7954

Probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum L4 and strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides LMG 7954 were applied for the controlled fermentation of cabbage heads. The parameters of the controlled and spontaneous fermentations, including antimicrobial effect of cabbage brines obtained at the end of both fermentations, were monitored. To check out the influence of starter culture strains, 10 randomly chosen lactic acid bacteria, isolated at the end of controlled cabbage heads fermentation were identified by API 50 CHL test, and the presence of the probiotic culture was confirmed by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis. The starter cultures applied for cabbage heads fermentation allowed lowering of NaCl concentrations from 4.0% to 2.5% (w/v), considerably accelerated fermentation process by 14 d, and improved the product quality. The produced sauerkraut heads are considered probiotic product as viable probiotic cells count in final product was higher than 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of product. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results of this research could be applied in the production of fermented cabbage heads with added functional (probiotic) value and with lower NaCl concentration with expected shortened fermentation time. This could not only be of economic but also of ecological importance.     

High pressure microfluidization treatment of heat denatured whey proteins for improved functionality

Solutions (5% protein) of a whey protein concentrate (WPC) in fresh acid whey or in water, as well as the fresh whey alone, were adjusted to pH 5.8, 4.8 or 3.8, heat treated at 90 °C for 10 min and further exposed to high pressure (150 MPa) microfluidization treatment. The volumes of sediment after centrifugation were recorded as a measure of the degree of insolubility of the proteins. Microfluidization disrupted the heat-induced aggregates into non-sedimenting whey protein polymers so that in some cases, especially at pH 3.8, the products studied were almost completely resistant to sedimentation after the microfluidization treatments. Heat denatured/microfluidized whey proteins reaggregated upon subsequent heating, with the pH having a major impact on the amount of sediment produced. Microfluidization of aqueous WPC solutions heat-treated before spray- or freeze-drying substantially increased the solubility of the powders upon reconstitution. Heat-induced viscoelastic gels were produced from freeze-dried microfluidized samples processed at pH 3.8 and reconstituted to solutions containing 12% (w/w) protein.     

Influence of Whey Protein Addition and Feed Moisture Content on Chosen Physicochemical Properties of Directly Expanded Corn Extrudates

Production of extrudates from cereals is an often-used technological process in today’s world food industry. Extrudates from corn flour produced using the twin-screw extrusion process and enriched with whey protein concentrate represent high-quality source of proteins and fats. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) as a valuable source of proteins and minerals is one of the highest-quality components for possible extrudate enrichment. In this paper, the influence of various WPC addition and some extrusion process parameters such as feed moisture content ( Q_{textHtext2 textO} Q_{{{text{H}}_{text{2}} {text{O}}}} ) on physicochemical properties of directly expanded corn flour extrudates manufactured in twin-screw co-rotating extruder was investigated. Whey protein concentrate was added in the following ratios 7.5%, 15% and 22.5% and water in 10.08, 12.18 and 14.28 L/h. Final composition of products is determined with measuring of protein, fat and water shares, water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI). With added WPC and with increase of water volume flow, there was a significant rise in total protein, fat and water content in final products, as well as lowering of WSI and rising of WAI indexes. The statistical analysis of the obtained data shows that the lowest WSI and the highest WAI had samples with the largest share of WPC (22.5%) and water volume flow of 14.28 L/h. Colour is measured for each sample, and results were represented with hue angle (H), chroma (C) and lightness (L) values. Process parameters, WPC and Q_{textHtext2 textO} Q_{{{text{H}}_{text{2}} {text{O}}}} influence the increase of saturation of C and lightness of L colour value, while H value stays unchanged. Mean value of H was 90.14 ± 1.06, which corresponds to dominance of yellow colour of samples.     

The effects of wet sorghum distillers' grains inclusion on napiergrass silage quality

This paper studies different amounts of wet sorghum distillers' grain (WSDG) for inclusion in napiergrass silage for silage fermentation. Napiergrass was harvested, chopped and mixed in four different ratios with WSDG. The ratio of WSDG to napiergrass on a dry matter basis was 0, 20, 40 and 60% respectively in four different dietary treatments. These materials were ensiled in 60 laboratory mini‐silos, 45 cm in height and 21 cm in radius. The napiergrass was put into 56 containers, which included two replicates for each of the four treatments. Each treatment utilised seven silage containers for each sampling time. Every two replicate mini‐silos were opened and sampled for analysis at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 days after ensiling respectively. One silage container from each treatment was installed with a remote‐controlled electronic thermometer to record temperature changes. Sample analyses included determination of pH, titratable acidity, buffering capacity, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), crude protein, ammonia nitrogen, lactic acid, volatile fatty acids (VFA), water‐soluble carbohydrates (WSC), dry matter (DM) and ash. The results of the silage characteristics at the end of the 32 day ensilage showed that the pH value of the 40% WSDG group was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of the other treatment groups. The titratable acidity, buffering capacity and water‐soluble carbohydrates of the control group were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of the other groups. Lactic acid production by the 20% WSDG group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the other treatment groups. Lactic acid production in the control was significantly lower (P < 0.05). The ammonia N concentration of the total N of the 60% WSDG group was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of the other groups. The Flieg score of the control was 85, the 20% group was 93, the 40% group was 95 and the 60% group was 91. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

皮革废料中提取的胶原蛋白性能研究

研究了利用生物酶技术提取的制革废皮料中的胶原蛋白水溶液在不同p H值、胶原蛋白浓度、电解质浓度等条件下的溶解性能及乳化能力,获得了溶解度与乳化能力在上述条件下的变化趋势。     

The relationship of carcass measurements to carcass composition and intramuscular fat in Spanish beef

Forty beef carcasses were classified for conformation and fatness. Besides, carcass weight, fat thickness (FT), carcass dimension, marbling by computer image analysis and ultrasound readings was recorded to complement grading. For predicting intramuscular fat (IMF) content, FT, number of intramuscular flecks and conformation increased R²-value from 0.19 to 0.64 compared to conformation alone. For visual marbling, ultrasound readings and thoracic depth (TD) increased the R²-value from 0.24 to 0.57 compared to fatness score (FS). The best variables for predicting weight of fabricated subprimals were carcass weight or compactness which is a function of carcass weight (R² between 0.94 and 0.63). Fatness score was poorer than FT for predicting yield of subprimals cuts from round (R² = 0.16 vs. 0.50) and ultrasound readings for less valuable subprimals (R² = 0.31 vs. 0.39). These results showed that other variables could be used in combination with carcass fatness or conformation to achieve a more accurate estimation of fat and carcass yield.     

基于光纤微弯的缠绕式管道形变传感器

利用多模光纤的微弯特性 ,提出并实现了一种新颖的光纤缠绕式管道形变传感器 ;也给出了它的基本实验原理 .研究表明多模光纤的微弯损耗对导管的变形响应灵敏 ,其灵敏度可达 3.5 d B/ με.并且实验与理论符合的很好     

Assessment of antioxidant activity and phycocyanin release of Spirulina loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) electrospun nanofibers

PCL with biodegradable property and Spirulina with various biological activities offer good alternative ingredients for the fabrication of functional nanofibers in tissue engineering. The aim of the study is to obtain PCL/Spirulina nanofibers with low diameters and to determine their wettability, antioxidant activity, and phycocyanin release to evaluate their potential as bioactive scaffolds in different applications. PCL/acetic acid/pyridine solutions with three different Spirulina concentrations were electrospun and the obtained nanofibers were investigated. The thinnest PCL/Spirulina nanofibers (117.20 nm) were obtained at 1.5% Spirulina concentration. Although PCL nanofibers with 6% Spirulina concentration showed the highest antioxidant activity and amount of phycocyanin released, PCL nanofibers with 3% Spirulina concentration having similar in vitro results showed superiority when considering the diameter and uniformity of the nanofibers and the cost of the material. The PCL/Spirulina nanofibers with small diameters and antioxidant activity could be regarded as potential extracellular matrix material for tissue engineering.