Protein Extractability of Turkey Breast and Thigh Muscle with Varying Sodium Chloride Solutions as Affected by Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc Chloride

Ground turkey breast and thigh muscle were extracted with various NaCl solutions with or without added CaCl₂, MgCl₂, or ZnCl₂ (0.05%). Protein solubility was increased by CaCl₂ and decreased by ZnCl₂ in each muscle type. At 4% NaCl, MgCl₂ increased thigh myosin solubility by 30%, compared to the control, whereas CaCl₂ had no effect. At 2% and 4% NaCl, breast myosin was not affected by MgCl₂ or CaCl₂. Myosin was not detected for either muscle type when ZnCl₂ was used. All three salts increased breast actin solubility but only MgCl₂ increased thigh actin solubility. The CaCl₂ resulted in the highest overall protein solubility and MgCl₂ resulted in the highest thigh myosin and actin solubility at 4% NaCl.     

SENSORY, COLOR, AND COMPOSITION CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG AND MATURE CHEVALINE

Data concerning the sensory attributes of chevaline, although limited, are of interest particularly to markets where it is sold as a human food. Thus, this study was conducted to characterize the sensory attributes of steaks from chevaline longissimus muscle from both younger (2–4 years of age: N = 10) and older animals (4 years and older: N = 10). Uncooked steaks (2.5 cm thick) were evaluated for moisture, fat, and protein content as well as color, instrumentally (L*, a*, and b*) and visually (lightness, redness, and brownness). Steaks were cooked to 70C (internal temperature) and then served to a sensory panel and evaluated by Warner-Bratzler shear. No differences (P < 0.05) were observed between age groups for sensory or color characteristics. Steaks from young animals had lower (P < 0.05) shear force values and protein content. Results suggest that age has limited effects on the composition, sensory, and color characteristics of chevaline steaks.     

MICROWAVE BLANCHING EFFECTS ON CHEMICAL, SENSORY AND COLOR CHARACTERISTICS OF FROZEN GREEN BEANS

Green beans (cv. Mustang) obtained from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign Horticulture plots were assayed within 3 h of harvest. Beans were blanched in covered containers: conventional boiling water (1900 ml, 3 min) (BW), steam (300 ml water, 3 min) (ST), microwave heated in 1 L glass containers (60 ml water, 3 or 5 min, 700 W) (MW-3, MW-5), and microwave heated in 1 L Seal-a-Meal^TM bags (45 ml water, 3 min) (MW-Bag). Baseline data were collected immediately after blanching. Aliquots were frozen at – 18C for 4 weeks. Unblanched beans had 82 units of peroxidase activity/min; activity was zero immediately after all blanching treatments. Reduced ascorbic acid (RAA) content was highest for unblanched, ST and MW-5 beans and lowest for BW and MW-Bag beans immediately after blanching. ST beans retained 100% of original RAA. Instron shear force (kg) was highest for unblanched beans and lowest for BW and MW-Bag beans immediately after blanching. After frozen storage, ST and BW beans had the lowest shear values. Visual color was poorest for MW-5; other treatments were not different. Microwave blanching green beans for 3 min in a covered container or bag prior to 4 weeks frozen storage resulted in a product that was not different in RAA content, retention or color from BW blanched beans; however, these samples differed in tenderness and crispness from boiling water blanched beans.     

A RESEARCH NOTE: ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS ON COLOR OF AN IRRADIATED BOVINE MYOGLOBIN MODEL SYSTEM

To determine whether antioxidants could protect meat color during irradiation, we extracted myoglobin (Mb) from beef hearts, treated it with one of four antioxidants (control, citric acid [CA], ascorbic acid [AA], ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid [EDTA] or propyl gallate [PG]) and irradiated it at 0.00, 1.25, or 2.50 kGy. The myoglobin model system was then evaluated for pH; Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) L *, a * and b * values; hue angle; chroma; and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Adding CA and AA to the beef myoglobin model system resulted in higher L *, a * and b * values than did EDTA and PG, indicating that these samples were lighter, redder and more yellow. EDTA- and PG-containing samples were more similar to controls containing no antioxidants. Hue angle and chroma supported these findings. Irradiation had no effect on pH, color or TBARS. These results indicate that antioxidants have more influence on beef color than irradiation and that the acidic antioxidants have the potential for preserving color.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Irradiation has the potential to reduce the microbial load on meat products, producing safer foods for consumers. However, a number of reports have indicated that irradiation can compromise the bright, cherry red color of fresh meat. Off-color will result in consumer rejection of products that may be safe. Antioxidants have the potential to preserve meat color by affecting the state of myoglobin; however, studying these effects in vivo is challenging because of the complexity of the system. In this model system, which was devoid of enzymatic reducing systems and equivalents, the acidic antioxidants, ascorbic acid (AA) and citric acid (CA), were most effective in preserving the color of the pigment. These antioxidants appear to have the greatest potential for preserving fresh meat color during irradiation.     

SPECIAL DISTRICTS: A COMMON SOLUTION TO POLITICAL PRESSURES STEMMING FROM CITy-COUNTy FISCAL INEQUALITIES

Fiscal inequalities between cities and counties have long strained intergovernmental relations between these general purpose local governments. Historically they have tended to be competitive in their search for revenues but this competitiveness changed to greater cooperation as a consequence of the taxpayer revolts of the 1970s. Both cities and counties favored creation of special districts (with taxing power) to relieve some of the pressure on their own property tax structures. Traditional theories of government fragmentation have maintained that creation of special district governments further widens city-county fiscal inequalities; however, newer theories suggest the opposite. Through an analysis of increases in special districts and changes in city-county property tax level differentials, this study shows that creation of special taxing districts in the 1970s reduced property tax level differentials between cities and counties—an important economic and political effect in an age of taxpayer revolts aimed at city, county, and state property taxes but never at special district taxes.     

INFERENCE OF ATTITUDES FROM NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN TWO CHANNELS.

3 DEGREES OF ATTITUDE (I.E., POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, AND NEGATIVE) IN FACIAL EXPRESSION WERE EACH COMBINED WITH 3 DEGREES OF ATTITUDE COMMUNICATED VOCALLY. THE VOCAL COMMUNICATIONS OF ATTITUDE WERE SUPERIMPOSED ON A NEUTRAL WORD. IN PREPARING THE 2-COMPONENT COMMUNICATIONS, THE COMPONENTS WERE SELECTED SO THAT THE DEGREE OF POSITIVE ATTITUDE COMMUNICATED FACIALLY WAS EQUIVALENT TO THAT COMMUNICATED VOCALLY-I.E., THE INDEPENDENT EFFECTS OF THE 2 COMPONENTS WERE COMPARABLE. IT WAS FOUND THAT ATTITUDES INFERRED FROM COMBINED FACIAL-VOCAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE A LINEAR FUNCTION OF THE ATTITUDES COMMUNICATED IN EACH COMPONENT, WITH THE FACIAL COMPONENT RECEIVING APPROXIMATELY 3/2 THE WEIGHT RECEIVED BY THE VOCAL COMPONENT. IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR MORE GENERAL ATTITUDE-COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS ARE DISCUSSED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ultrastructure of Pork Liver after Freeze-Thaw Cycling and Refrigerated Storage

Pork liver was subjected to repeated freezing (-20°C) and thawing (+ 5°C) to simulate conditions of temperature abuse of frozen liver during commercial transport. Ultrastructure was compared to that of refrigerated pork liver. Liver cells deteriorated more with freezing and thawing (F-T) than with refrigerated storage (R-S). After one cycle F-T, hepatocyte organelles were damaged and cytoplasmic components appeared in the sinusoids. After four cycles F-T, membranes were extensively damaged and sinusoids contained organelles. The tissue organization was stable during six days of refrigerated storage, although cell structure deteriorated. Evidence from ultrastructure indicated that drip from F-T liver and R-S liver arose from different kinds of tissue damage.