Effect of transport time and ageing on aspects of beef quality

Forty-eight bulls were transported by road in groups of eight for approximately 30 min, 3 or 6 h in two replicates. After slaughter, steaks from the longissimus dorsi thoracis of all transported animals were analysed in terms of pH, water-holding capacity, myoglobin concentration, texture at 7 and 14 days of ageing (compression and Warner-Bratzler analyses) and colour of the same surface of meat cut at 24 h post-mortem and allowed to bloom for 24 h and 7 d (L^*a^*b^*, chroma and hue). The myofibrillar resistance of the meat from animals transported 30 min was significantly greater at 20% compression (P<0.05). The maximum load and a^*b^* and chroma were all lower for meat aged 14 days.     

Inhibitory effect of cinnamon, clove, lemongrass, oregano and palmarose essential oils on growth and fumonisin B1 production by Fusarium proliferatum in maize grain

The effect of cinnamon, clove, oregano, palmarose and lemongrass oils on growth and FB1 production by three different isolates of F. proliferatum in irradiated maize grain at 0.995 and 0.950 aw and at 20 and 30 degrees C was evaluated. The five essential oils inhibited growth of F. proliferatum isolates at 0.995 aw at both temperatures, while at 0.950 aw only cinnamon, clove and oregano oils were effective in inhibiting growth of F. proliferatum at 20 degrees C and none of them at 30 degrees C. Cinnamon, oregano and palmarose oils had significant inhibitory effect on FB1 production by the three strains of F. proliferatum at 0.995 aw and both temperatures, while clove and lemongrass oils had only significant inhibitory effect at 30 degrees C. No differences were found using 500 or 1000 microg essential oil g(-1). At 0.950 aw, none of the essential oils had any significant effect on FB1 production. The results suggest that mainly cinnamon and oregano oils could be effective in controlling growth and FB1 production by F. proliferatum in maize under preharvest conditions.     

Browning susceptibility of minimally processed Baby and Romaine lettuces

 This study was conducted to determine the effects of cultivar, tissue susceptibility and storage temperature on the keeping quality of minimally processed Baby and Romaine lettuces. Midrib and photosynthetic tissues were lightly processed and stored for up to 7 days at 5  °C and 13  °C. Changes in L ^* and a ^* values and absorbance at 430 nm were compared. The relationship between polyphenols, phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities and browning was examined. Measurements of L ^* and a ^* values on midribs showed that browning discoloration was the same for Baby as for Romaine lettuces and there was no relationship for temperature. In addition, L ^* and a ^* values in photosynthetic tissue indicated a decrease in green pigmentation during storage, especially at 13  °C. For both kinds of tissue at the end of cold storage an increase in soluble brown polymers was detected. In midribs, total phenolics increased significantly throughout the storage period because of the tissue-wounding response. The photosynthetic tissue had a higher phenolic content than the midrib one. For both kinds of tissue an increase in PPO activity occurred throughout cold storage. On the other hand, PAL activity in midrib tissue only increased initially, followed by a slow decline to reach normal levels. Browning potential estimated by L ^* values correlated significantly (P>95%) with PPO activity and with absorbance at 430 nm for Romaine lettuce. Based on colour and browning potential no differences between Romaine and Baby lettuce cultivars were observed. However, photosynthetic tissue was the most suitable tissue for the preparation of minimally processed salad mixes because of its high phenolic content. Received: 28 September 1998     

Water activity,water glass dynamics,and the control of microbiological growth in foods

Water is probably the single most important factor governing microbial spoilage in foods, and the concept of water activity (a_w) has been very valuable because measured values generally correlate well with the potential for growth and metabolic activity. Despite some drawbacks (e.g., solute effect), the concept of a_w has assisted food scientists in their effort to predict the onset of food spoilage as well as to control food‐borne disease hazards in food products. In the last decade the concept of a_w has been challenged. It has been suggested that reduced‐moisture food products (e.g., low and intermediate) may be nonequilibrium systems and that most of them are in the amorphous metastable state, which is very sensitive to changes in moisture content and temperature. It has been proposed that the glass transition temperature T_g (temperature at which the glass‐rubber transition occurs), is a parameter that can determine many product properties, the safety of foods among them. The concept of water dynamics, originating in a food polymer science approach, has been suggested instead of a_w to better predict the microbial stability of intermediate‐moisture foods. The usage of a_w to predict microbial safety of foods has been discouraged on the basis that (1) in intermediate‐moisture foods the measured water vapor pressure is not an equilibrium one, and because a_w is a thermodynamic concept, it refers only to equilibrium; and (2) the microbial response may differ at a particular a_w when the latter is obtained with different solutes.

This review analyzes these suggestions on the basis of abundant experimental evidence found in the literature. It is concluded that nonequilibrium effects (e.g., inability of water to diffuse in a semimoist food) appear to be in many cases slow within the time frame (food's shelf life) of the experiments and/or so small that they do not affect seriously the application of the a_w concept as a predictor of microbial stability in foods.

The claims that a food science polymer approach to understanding the behavior of aqueous sugar glasses and concentrated solutions may be used to predict the microbial stability of food systems is not substantiated by experimental evidence. This approach does not offer, at the present time, a better alternative to the concept of a_w as a predictor of microbial growth in foods.

It is also recognized that a_w has several limitations and should be always used carefully, and this must include precautions regarding the possible influences of nonequilibrium situations. This aspect may be summarized by simply saying that anyone who is going to employ the term water activity must be aware of the implications of its definition.     

Simple and high-throughput method for the multimycotoxin analysis in cereals and related foods by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid, reliable and sensitive method was developed to determine 12 mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and M1, fumonisins B1 and B2, ochratoxin A, HT-2 and T-2 toxin and zearalenone) simultaneously in maize, walnuts, biscuits and breakfast cereals. The method is based on a single extraction step using acetonitrile/water mixture (80/20 v/v) followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). The selectivity of the MS/MS detection allowed the elimination of further clean up steps. Extraction, chromatographic and detection conditions were optimised in order to increase sample throughput and sensitivity. Matrix-matched calibration was used for quantification and recoveries of the extraction process ranged from 70.0% and 108.4%, with relative standard deviations lower than 25% in all the cases, when samples were fortified at 5 and 50 μg/kg. Limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 2.1 μg/kg and limits of quantification ranged from 0.03 to 6.30 μg/kg, which were always below the tolerance levels of mycotoxins set by European Union in the matrices evaluated. Several samples were analysed and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 and T-2 toxin were detected in one maize sample, with concentrations lower than 6.0 μg/kg and deoxynivalenol was detected in a breakfast cereal at 42.1 μg/kg.     

Endogenous Proteases in Pacific Whiting (Merluccius productus) Muscle as A Processing Aid in Functional Fish Protein Hydrolysate Production

A fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) from Pacific whiting (Merluccius productus) muscle was produced by autolysis of a minced homogenate (8% protein) at pH 7.0 and 60°C, where maximum endogenous proteolytic activity was detected. FPH production was controlled by the pH stat method, yielding a 4.43% degree of hydrolysis after 1 h of autolysis. Upon autolytic processing, 28.9 ± 0.7% of the total protein was found in the soluble fraction. FPH was 100% soluble at pH 7.0 and 10.0 and was less soluble at pH 4 (82.5%, P ≤ 0.05). FPH showed better emulsifying properties than sodium caseinate (SCA) at pH 4.0 (P ≤ 0.05), but had a lower foaming capacity (P ≤ 0.05) than bovine albumin (BSA) at all evaluated pHs. FPH foaming capacity was not affected by pH, however, foam stability was equal or better than that of BSA, especially at pH 4.0 (P ≤ 0.05). These results suggest the possibility of producing FPH with similar or better functional properties than those of functional ingredients, such as SCA and BSA. Furthermore, the data presented support our hypothesis that the high proteolytic activity in Pacific whiting could be used as an advantage in fish protein hydrolysate production or as a processing aid where protein hydrolysis is required.     

Characterisation,storage viabilit,and application of microspheres with Lactobacillus paracasei obtained by the extrusion technique

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of pH, bile salts and different storage conditions at two different temperatures (30 and 4 °C) on the viability of free and microencapsulated Lactobacillus paracasei. Microspheres encapsulating L. paracasei were obtained using an extrusion method. The efficiency was 87.6%, the diameter 70 µm and the zeta potential 7.22 ± 0.05 mV. Encapsulated L. paracasei showed higher resistance to stomach pH and bile salts compared to free cells. Microspheres were evaluated under four different storage conditions: fresh, suspended in a solution with a pH of 4, suspended in saline solution and lyophilised. The lyophilised microspheres presented the highest stability with 89.2% survival rate after six weeks of storage; however, free bacteria in saline solution (0.145 N) presented a 65.3% survival rate. Finally, a new product (a strawberry ice popsicle) with possible functional characteristics was obtained using microencapsulated L. paracasei.