Broiler production at mass level has already been achieved and now emphasis is being laid on increasing meat quality by altering various characteristics of broiler meat. Appearance, texture, ...juiciness, wateriness, firmness, tenderness, odor and flavor are the most important and perceptible meat features that influence the initial and final quality judgment by consumers before and after purchasing a meat product. The quantifiable properties of meat such as water holding capacity, shear force, drip loss, cook loss, pH, shelf life, collagen content, protein solubility, cohesiveness, and fat binding capacity are indispensable for processors involved in the manufacture of value added meat products. Nutrition of birds has a significant impact on poultry meat quality and safety. It is well known that dietary fatty acid profiles are reflected in tissue fatty acid. Management of poultry meat production is reflected mostly on consumption features (juiciness, tenderness, flavour) of meat. After slaughter, biochemical changes, causing the conversion of muscle to meat, determine final meat quality. Postmortem carcass temperature has profound effect on rigor mortis and the physicochemical changes observed in PSE muscles are attributed to postmortem glycolysis, temperature, and pH. Primary processing and further processing have become a matter of concern with respect to nutritional quality of broiler meat. Genetic variation among birds could contribute to large differences in the rate of rigor mortis completion and meat quality. Heritability estimates for meat quality traits in broilers are amazingly high (0.35–0.81), making genetic selection a best tool for improvement of broiler meat quality.
Meat quality is a prerequisite to the consumer's acceptability and industrial profitability. Post-translational modifications, changes in myofibrillar protein degradation and myoglobin oxidation have ...a great impact on meat quality during post-mortem aging of muscle. Applying proteomics to search for protein biomarkers to accurately assess meat quality is a new strategy to ensure high-quality meat.
The current progress of using proteomics to identify potential protein biomarkers of meat quality traits during post-mortem aging of muscles has been reviewed in this paper. The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of protein separation, identification and quantitative analysis are summarized. Some potential protein biomarkers of meat quality traits belonging to different biological pathways involved in muscle contraction, metabolism, heat stress, oxidation, proteolysis and apoptosis are debated. Recently, biomarkers have been used to characterize meat tenderness, color and water-holding capacity to better understand the biological processes and pathways occurring in post-mortem muscles, and their detailed molecular mechanisms are discussed in this review.
Post-mortem aging of muscle is a complex process that involves physical and biochemical changes at the cellular level. Clarifying the changes and mechanisms of muscle-to-meat conversion is of great significance in identifying protein markers for assessing meat quality. Previous studies of the biomarkers linked to meat tenderness, color and water-holding capacity are summarized. We found that some great challenges still exist in characterizing and predicting the accuracy, stability and industrial application of meat quality biomarkers. Based on these studies, future research about biomarkers of meat quality traits are proposed to tackle these challenges and to assess the meat quality more accurately. Therefore, applying proteomics as an emerging technology can be helpful to ensure high-quality meat and provide economic benefits for the meat industry.
•Proteomics identified protein biomarkers of meat quality traits are reviewed.•The merits and demerits of biomarkers identifying tools are discussed.•The mechanisms of some potential protein biomarkers that characterize meat quality traits are elaborated.•Current problems are presented and future research directions are suggested.
Ultrasound and meat quality: A review Alarcon-Rojo, Alma Delia; Carrillo-Lopez, Luis Manuel; Reyes-Villagrana, Raul ...
Ultrasonics sonochemistry,
07/2019, Volume:
55
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
•Applications of ultrasound tin he field of meat preservation are discussed.•High-intensity ultrasound reduces microbial loads in meat.•Tenderization of meat depends on time and intensity of ...sonication.•High-intensity ultrasound increases WHC in meat when it is combined with marination.•New research should be lead combining ultrasound with other innovative technologies.
High intensity ultrasound (HIU) offers an alternative to traditional methods of food preservation, and is regarded as a green and promising emerging technology. Ultrasound generates acoustic cavitation in a liquid medium, developing physical forces that are considered the main mechanism responsible for changes in exposed materials. In meat, ultrasound has been successfully used to improve processes such as mass transfer and marination, tenderization of meat and inactivation of microorganisms. It is also an alternative to traditional meat ageing methods for improving the quality properties of meat. Moreover, the combination of ultrasonic energy with a sanitizing agent can improve the effect of microbial reduction in foods. This review describes recent potential applications of ultrasound in meat systems, as well as physical and chemical effects of ultrasound treatment on the conservation and modification of processed meat foods. Finally, the ultrasound application parameters must be deep explored and established before the method can be scaled to industrial levels.
Heat stress is one of the most stressful events in the life of livestock with harmful consequences for animal health, productivity and product quality. Ruminants, pigs and poultry are susceptible to ...heat stress due to their rapid metabolic rate and growth, high level of production, and species-specific characteristics such as rumen fermentation, sweating impairment, and skin insulation. Acute heat stress immediately before slaughter stimulates muscle glycogenolysis and can result in pale, soft and exudative (PSE) meat characterized by low water holding capacity (WHC). By contrast, animals subjected to chronic heat stress, have reduced muscle glycogen stores resulting in dark, firm and dry (DFD) meat with high ultimate pH and high WHC. Furthermore, heat stress leads to oxidative stress, lipid and protein oxidation, and reduced shelf life and food safety due to bacterial growth and shedding. This review discusses the scientific evidence regarding the effects of heat stress on livestock physiology and metabolism, and their consequences for meat quality and safety.
The objective of this study was to determine impacts of environmental enrichment (EE) on turkey meat quality. A randomized complete block design was used with commercial turkeys (n = 420) randomly ...assigned to 6 EE treatments (control C, pecking block PB, platform P, wooden platform þ straw bale PSB, straw bale SB, and tunnel T) across 24 pens (16 to 18 turkeys/pen). At 19 wk, turkeys were weighed (live weight LW), and 6 birds per pen were harvested, a subset (n = 96 carcasses) fabricated into wings, drumsticks, and boneless breasts and thighs. From the breast and thigh, samples were taken for pH and drip loss. From the breast, samples were taken for instrumental color and shear force, with remaining breast portions further processed into boneless turkey breast logs. From each log, slices were taken for packaged purge loss (PPL), expressed moisture loss (EML), instrumental color, and texture. All EE treatments were analyzed using PROC GLM. For LW, SB turkeys were lightest, PB turkeys were heaviest, and T, PSB, C, and P were intermediate (P = 0.01). For fresh turkey, EE treatment did not impact the fabrication values, fresh breast color, breast or thigh drip loss, or breast or thigh pH (P > 0.05) and had minimal impact to thigh color with significant differences only in the b* values (P = 0.04). For processed turkey, EE did not impact processing yield, PPL, a*, b*, or texture (P > 0.05). For L*, SB, T, P, and PSB were lighter, C were darker, and PB had intermediate values (P = 0.02). PB, PSB, C, and T had greater EML loss, P had the least, and SB had intermediate EML (P = 0.04). The results indicate some variations of turkey quality due to EE, but the impacts of specific enrichments were not consistent across quality parameters.
Meat quality can be affected by stress, exhaustion, feed composition, and other physical and environmental conditions. These stressors can alter the pH in postmortem muscle, leading to high pH and ...low‐quality dark cutting (DC) beef, resulting in considerable economic loss. Moreover, the dark cutting prediction may equally provide a measure for animal welfare since it is directly related to animal stress. There are two needs to advance on‐site detection of dark cutters: (1) a clear indication that biomarker (signature compounds) levels in cattle correlate with stress and DC outcome; and (2) measuring these biomarkers rapidly and accurately on‐farm or the abattoir, depending on the objectives. This critical review assesses which small molecules and proteins have been identified as potential biomarkers of stress and dark cutting in cattle. We discuss the potential of promising small molecule biomarkers, including catecholamine/cortisol metabolites, lactate, succinate, inosine, glucose, and β‐hydroxybutyrate, and we identify a clear research gap for proteomic biomarker discovery in live cattle. We also explore the potential of chemical‐sensing and biosensing technologies, including direct electrochemical detection improved through nanotechnology (e.g., carbon and gold nanostructures), surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy in combination with chemometrics, and commercial hand‐held devices for small molecule detection. No current strategy exists to rapidly detect predictive meat quality biomarkers due to the need to further validate biomarkers and the fact that different biosensor types are needed to optimally detect different molecules. Nonetheless, several biomarker/biosensor combinations reported herein show excellent potential to enable the measurement of DC potential in live cattle.
The quality of the
muscle has been compared in male moose, red deer, fallow der and roe deer from wild populations. The results of this study indicated that Cervid meat had favorable chemical ...composition and high sensory quality but its properties were affected by the species of the animal. The highest quality was characterized roe deer meat. It was found that her meat had the best water-holding capacity and was most tender, and intramuscular fat had highest nutritional value. However, due to the high diversity and variation of factors affecting game meat quality, further research is needed to confirm the observed interspecific differences between members of the family Cervidae.
This study examined the effects of constant current electrical stimulation (CCES) compared to constant voltage electrical stimulation (CVES), when applied within the same beef carcass (n = 79), on ...longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) quality and palatability. There was a stimulation method × time interaction for pH, with CCES reducing the 3 h post-mortem pH, but increasing the 72 h post-mortem pH compared to CVES (P < 0.001). The CCES decreased the meat subjective Japanese Meat Grading Agency (JMGA) colour scores (P < 0.05) and increased the objective L⁎ (P < 0.01), a⁎ (P < 0.05) and b⁎ (P < 0.05) colour values at 3 d post-mortem and L⁎ and b⁎ values (P < 0.05) during retail display compared to CVES, although the objective values from both stimulation methods were above established consumer acceptability thresholds. Additionally, CCES reduced the purge (P < 0.05) and drip (P < 0.01) losses, and tended to reduce shear force values (P = 0.089) compared to CVES, although these did not translate into differences in juiciness or tenderness evaluated by trained panelists (P > 0.1). Regarding flavour, the CCES meat had greater bloody/serumy flavour (P < 0.05) and corn aroma (P < 0.05), less unidentified aroma (P < 0.05), and tended to have greater corn flavour (P = 0.077) and less barnyard aroma (P = 0.079) than CVES meat. There were also increased concentrations of flavour-related volatile compounds including 2-methyl-butanal, 3-methyl-butanal and 2–5-dimethyl pyrazine levels (P < 0.05) with CCES. Overall, the CCES system slightly improved meat quality and flavour compared to CVES when applied to the same beef carcasses. Further consumer studies would be warranted to determine whether these differences translate into more acceptable meat.
•Constant current vs constant voltage electrical stimulation (CC/CVES) were compared.•CCES hastened carcass side pH decline compared to CVES applied to the other side.•CCES meat had improved colour and less drip and purge losses than CVES meat.•CCES improved the meat flavour profile compared to CVES.•The CCES system was more effective for improving meat quality and flavour than CVES.
Pale, Soft, and Exudative (PSE)-like pork defects are associated with fiber destruction and pale discoloration and have become a severe economic burden for the European meat sector. However, robust ...detection of PSE-like pork and its diverse features is challenging and makes studies into defect causation difficult. Implementation of histological examination may improve our knowledge about less-known features linked to PSE-like defects. Here we evaluate if a new histological protocol can reveal how myopathy in ham may be associated with visual and traditional physicochemical anomalies of PSE-like pork. We first created a list of pathological features, quantified them, and integrated them into a myodegeneration scoring scheme (MYO) for semimembranosus muscle sections. We then explored potential associations between overall MYO scoring and individual histology features with visual PSE-like defect scoring (DES) and with individual meat quality variables pHu, color: L*, a*, b* (CIELAB), bioimpedance, and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR). As the primary finding of this study, we show a significant association between overall myopathy (MYO) scoring and PSE-like defect (DES) scores. We also found associations of specific myopathy features with DES scores, and of overall MYO scoring with specific quality variables. In all, our data suggest links between signs of acute myodegeneration and PSE-like defects. Our data, hence, supports the implementation of semi-quantitative histopathological approaches for diagnosing PSE-like pork features and may help identify the underlying mechanisms behind these defects.
PDF
