Effects of Inorganic Phosphates and Sodium Hydroxide on the Cooked Cured Color, pH and Emulsion Stability of Reduced-Sodium and Conventional Meat Emulsions

Phosphates that increased meat emulsion stability the most also caused the highest decrease in cured color development. The addition of 0.125% sodium hydroxide also reduced cured color development. Holding uncooked emulsions, containing either sodium tripolyphosphate or tetrasodium pyrophosphate, up to 60 min after emulsion preparation plus adding tetrasodium pyrophosphate later in the emulsification procedure improved cured color development upon cooking. In both cases, cooked pH increased as cured color improved, and emulsion stability declined. This suggested that phosphate effects other than, or in addition to, pH were involved in cured color development and emulsion stability.     

Microbiology of a Ham-Type Product Made from Soy-Extended Cured Beef and Inoculated with Clostridium sporogenes PA3679

The microbiological stability of a new ham-type product made from soy-extended cured beef was examined under wholesale (2–4°C) and retail (5°C) refrigerated storage conditions, and during abuse-temperature holding for 24 and 48 hr at 24-25°C after inoculation with Closrridium sporogenes PA3679. No microbiological effects (P >0.05) could be attributed to the level of soy protein isolate in the injection brine (0, 5, 7.5 or 9%) on the basis of mesophilic, psychrotrophic, anaerobic and lactic bacterial counts. Samples held at 2-4°C did not exceed 10⁴ CFU/g after 4 wk for any bacterial type examined. Product shelf-life was > 3 wk at 5°C and 2 wk at 8–10°C. Inoculated PA3679 did not grow in the product during 24 or 48 hr simulated mishandling (24-2°C).     

Comparison of Rapid Methods for isolation and Enumeration of Clostridium perfringens in Meat

Three strains of Clostridium pefringens, ATCC 12924, ATCC 12917, and ATCC 14809, were inoculated separately into thioglycollate broth and ground beef samples and enumerated by Fung's Double Tube (FDT), Oxyrase Enzyme (OE), Gas Pak Anaerobic System (GPAS), and Anaerobic Petri Dish (APD) methods. Recovery of the three strains by FDT was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that by the other three methods from both thioglycollate broth and ground beef, with OE second highest. FDT gave better recovery (84%) in less time (8–10 hr) at 42°C compared with the OE method (61%). FDT was also least costly.     

Pore Evolution During Glow Discharge Sintering of Alumina

A series of experiments have been performed to demonstrate the applicability of small-angle neutron scattering to the study of pore evolution during sintering. Samples of α-Al₂O₃ which had been zone sintered in a hydrogen hollow cathode glow discharge to densities exceeding 94% of theoretical were employed in these preliminary measurements. The neutron scattering results indicate that densification during the final stages of glow discharge sintering occurs primarily through a reduction in the number of pores present with only a small change in the average pore size.