The application of high-pressure treatment in the reduction of salt levels in reduced-phosphate breakfast sausages

This study investigated the effects of high pressure (HP) treatment of pork meat before manufacturing sausages with reduced salt levels and compared them to sausages manufactured with untreated meat (control sausages). A 2 × 5 factorial design was set up incorporating two pressure levels (0 or 150 MPa) and five salt levels (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5%). Most quality attributes were affected when salt levels were reduced below 1.5%. Fat loss (FL) was (P < 0.05) affected by salt level; samples with < 1.5% salt had the highest FL. HP treatment increased emulsion stability and reduced cook loss (CL) compared to control sausages. Increased CL was observed when salt was reduced below 2.0%. Salt reduction below 1.5% adversely affected colour, sensory and texture attributes. Independent of salt, HP treatment affected adversely juiciness and cohesiveness while adhesiveness was improved. Overall, there is potential to manufacture sausages maintaining organoleptic and functional properties traditionally associated with sausages using HP treated meat.     

Comparisons of milk quality on North Carolina organic and conventional dairies

The organic dairy industry is growing rapidly across the United States and has recently expanded into the southeastern states. To date, no published comparisons of milk quality exist between organic and conventional dairies in the Southeastern United States. Maintaining high milk quality is challenging in this region due to the longer periods of high heat and humidity. The objective of this observational study was to compare milk quality on organic and conventional dairies in North Carolina during the warm summer months of the year. Data were compared from 7 organically and 7 conventionally managed herds in North Carolina. To assess milk quality, milk samples were aseptically collected from each functional quarter of each cow in the milking herds at the time of sampling and linear somatic cell scores (SCS) were obtained for individual cows. A total of 4,793 quarter milk samples (2,526 conventional and 2,267 organic) were collected from 1,247 cows (652 conventional and 595 organic). Milk samples were cultured and bacterial growth was identified using protocols consistent with those of the National Mastitis Council (Verona, WI). Subclinical mastitis was defined as the presence of SCS ≥4 and also a microbiological infection in at least 1 quarter. The proportion of cows with subclinical mastitis did not differ between conventional (20.8%) and organic (23.3%) herds. No significant difference was observed between herd management types in the proportion of cows without microbiological growth in milk samples. Also, no significant differences were observed between organic and conventional herds for cow-level prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., or Corynebacterium spp. Two of the organic herds had a notably higher prevalence of Corynebacterium spp. and higher SCS. Coliforms were found in 5 of 7 conventional herds and in only 1 of 7 organic herds. Mean SCS did not differ between conventional (3.3 ± 0.2) and organic (3.5 ± 0.2) herds. Despite differences in herd management, milk quality was remarkably similar between the organic and conventional dairies compared for this study.     

Quantifying the extent of variation in the eating quality traits of the M. longissimus dorsi and M. semimembranosus of conventionally processed Irish beef

The aim of this investigation was to quantify the scale of variation in the eating quality of two commercial beef muscles, M. longissimus dorsi (LD) and M. semimembranosus (Sm). Both the LD and Sm were excised from steers (n=81) and heifers (n=81) (classification grade O4H, O4L, R4H, R4L) within 48 h postmortem, vacuum packaged and stored at 4?°C until tested for eating quality at 14 days postmortem. Quality measurements analysed were: pH, Warner Bratzler shear force, sensory attributes, sarcomere length, Hunter L a b muscle and subcutaneous fat colour and chemical composition. Extent of variation in many eating quality measurements, with the exception of most sensory attributes and subcutaneous fat colour, depended on gender, classification grade or a combination of both. The LD was more variable than the Sm for most quality attributes and heifers were more variable than steers. No one carcass grade was more variable over all attributes analysed; with different grades causing higher or lower variances within certain attributes. Knowledge of the current scale of variation in the eating quality of beef is required by the meat industry, and is one that requires further research.     

Association of polymorphisms in the calpain I, calpain II and growth hormone genes with tenderness in bovine M. longissimus dorsi

The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between tenderness in bovine M. longisimus dorsi (LD) and polymorphisms in the bovine calpain I (exons 9 & 14), calpain II (regulatory subunit) or growth hormone (intron 3) genes. Genomic DNA was isolated from bovine LD (n = 281) on which quality attributes (Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF), sarcomere length and composition) were also characterised. DNA polymorphisms were analysed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Association analyses were performed between genotypes at the four polymorphic loci and day 14 WBSF values. It was found that the calpain 1 exon 9 genotypes had an association with WBSF such that animals with the GA genotype exhibited decreased WBSF and increased tenderness when compared to animals with the GG genotype (P < 0.05). This observation concurs with that of earlier studies, suggesting that this polymorphism is a functional marker for beef tenderness.     

Absorption,metabolism, and excretion of green tea flavan‐3‐ols in humans with an ileostomy

Green tea containing 634 μmol of flavan‐3‐ols was ingested by human subjects with an ileostomy. Ileal fluid, plasma, and urine collected 0–24 h after ingestion were analysed by HPLC‐MS. The ileal fluid contained 70% of the ingested flavan‐3‐ols in the form of parent compounds (33%) and 23 metabolites (37%). The main metabolites effluxed back into the lumen of the small intestine were O‐linked sulphates and methyl‐sulphates of (epi)catechin and (epi)gallocatechin. Thus, in subjects with a functioning colon substantial quantities of flavan‐3‐ols would pass from the small to the large intestine. Plasma contained 16 metabolites, principally methylated, sulphated, and glucuronidated conjugates of (epi)catechin and (epi)gallocatechin, exhibiting 101–256 nM peak plasma concentration and the time to reach peak plasma concentration ranging from 0.8 to 2.2 h. Plasma pharmacokinetic profiles were similar to those obtained with healthy subjects, indicating that flavan‐3‐ol absorption occurs in the small intestine. Ileostomists had earlier plasma time to reach peak plasma concentration values than subjects with an intact colon, indicating the absence of an ileal brake. Urine contained 18 metabolites of (epi)catechin and (epi)gallocatechin in amounts corresponding to 6.8±0.6% of total flavan‐3‐ol intake. However, excretion of (epi)catechin metabolites was equivalent to 27% of the ingested (?)‐epicatechin and (+)‐catechin.     

The Electronic Countermeasures Problem for Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Communications

An extremely low frequency (ELF) communication system for military purposes needs specialized engineering techniques, in particular signal bandwidth spreading in order to protect against enemy electronic countermeasures (ECM). Qualitative discussion is presented of the processing which the system must have to make jamming difficult, with qualitative discussion of predictive jamming, repeat-back jamming, and high power brute force jamming by adapting electric power systems.     

Cooking effect on fatty acid profile of pork breakfast sausages enriched in conjugated linoleic acid by dietary supplementation or direct addition

The effectiveness of increasing CLA in pork products through animal dietary supplementation or direct addition in the product formulation has been studied, and the effect of grilling on dry matter and fat contents and fatty acid composition has been analysed. Sausages made with meat and back fat from pigs with CLA dietary supplementation had the highest saturated fatty acid content. Sausages from dietary supplementation and direct addition had CLA levels between 6% and 7% of total fatty acids. Moisture and fat contents decreased and increased respectively after cooking for the three sausage types (control, dietary supplementation, direct addition). Grilling had little effect on fatty acid levels, especially for sausages with direct addition in the product formulation. In general, saturated fatty acids increased and poly-unsaturated fatty acids decreased due to the increase of C16:0 and to the decrease of C18:2 n − 6c and C18:3 n − 3 fatty acids. Added CLA, both from animal dietary supplementation or direct addition, remained at similar levels in cooked sausages to those found in raw sausages.     

Urinary metabolites of p-hydroxyamphetamine in man, rat and guinea-pig

1. The metabolism of (+/-)-p-hydroxy[14C]amphetamine has been studied in the rat, guinea-pig and man. 2. Most of the administered 14C was excreted in the urine within the first 24 h (64-92%), and was present mainly as free and conjugated p-hydroxy[14C]-amphetamine. In the female rat and female guinea-pig the conjugate was a glucuronide, but in man, who received a much smaller dose, the conjugate was a sulphate ester. A sex difference in conjugation was found in the rat, the female partly conjugating the drug but not the male. 3. Small quantities (1-6% of dose) of p-hydroxynorephedrine, a putative false neurotransmitter, were found in the urine of the three species. 4. Some oxidative degradation of the side chain of p-hydroxyamphetamine occurred in rat and guinea-pig since small amounts of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (1-3%) were detected in the urine.