The goal of this study conducted in Serbia was to detect HEV in pig liver samples from slaughterhouses, retail outlets, and environmental swabs over the course of a year. All positive HEV samples ...were measured and expressed as HEV gene copy numbers per gram of sample, and a representative number of samples were sequenced using the Sanger approach. A total of 45 HEV-positive samples were re-amplified using nested RT-PCR employing CODEHOP primers targeting ORF2 (493 nucleotides). The average prevalence of the HEV genotype 3 in all pig liver samples from the slaughterhouses was 29%, while HEV prevalence was 44% in liver samples from animals younger than 3 months. HEV RNA was found in thirteen out of sixty (22%) environmental swab samples that were taken from different surfaces along the slaughter line. Our findings confirmed seasonal patterns in HEV prevalence, with two picks (summer and winter periods) during the one-year examination. Among HEV-positive samples, the average viral particles for all positive liver samples was 4.41 ± 1.69 log
genome copies per gram. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the majority of HEV strains (43/45) from Serbia were grouped in the HEV-3a subtype, while two strains were classified into the HEV-3c subtype, and one strain could not be classified into any of the HEV-3 subtypes.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Intentions to purchase meat and repeat purchasing patterns will depend on the consumer’s perception of intrinsic and extrinsic quality cues. In order to discover consumers’ insights into the quality ...of pork and beef, the main objective of this study was to investigate meat color, marbling, and types of fresh meat defects. A total of 50 samples of meat were analyzed for three quality characteristics on different levels. This study applied a statistical calculation of a loss function invented by Taguchi. The results showed the values of variations in meat color and marbling that present the limits of consumers’ tolerance. Based on the obtained results, it was determined that the tolerable level of color variations of beef is 3.61, while for pork, this limit is 2.00. The most preferred marbling percentages were 21% and 5.74% for beef and pork, respectively. On the other hand, the negative effect of defects was the strongest for “dark cutting” for beef and “blood spotting” for pork loins.
