This article examines the effect of antioxidants such as dehydroquercetin and ascorbic acid on the quality parameters of meat (thiobarbituric number, acid number and peroxide number). Antioxidants ...were added in different proportions, as a result of the experiment, the optimal amount for adding to meat was obtained, which was confirmed by a mathematical and statistical method. The results of the study were used to improve the technology and determine the levels of the introduction of plant extracts with antioxidant properties in the production of minced meat semi-finished products. The effect of plant extracts with antioxidant properties on oxidative processes in minced meat products has been studied.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of post-mortem aging on tenderness development and proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins in 3 different horse muscles. Warner–Bratzler shear force ...decreased during aging in all muscles, showing the lowest values in longissimus lumborum (LL) in all sampling points. Myofibril fragmentation index significantly increased in LL and semimembranosus (SM) muscles throughout aging time whereas in semitendinosus (ST) it increased after 14 days of aging. Proteomics analysis revealed the major content of intact myofibrillar proteins with high molecular weight in ST muscle in the first phase of aging, while, after 14 days a higher accumulation of TnT-derived polypeptides and spots isoforms ascribed to MLC2 and MLC1 proteins were found. Data highlight that aging affects the meat tenderness and proteolysis with different intensities in each muscle and suggest that a more extensive post-mortem proteolysis occurred in ST muscle.
•Warner–Bratzler shear force decreased during aging in all muscles.•Longissimus lumborum was the more tender muscle independent of aging time.•Western blot revealed the disappearance of intact isoforms of TnT only in ST muscle.•An extending aging time improved tenderness mostly in ST muscle.•ST muscle showed a major number of spots isoforms ascribed at MLC2 and MLC1 proteins after 14 d of aging.
The study assessed the role of equids at slaughter as faecal carriers of Salmonella enterica and the occurrence of contaminated equid carcasses during the slaughter process in Northern Italy ...(Emilia-Romagna Region). From June to November 2021, 152 equids (146 horses, 5 donkeys and 1 mule) were tested for Salmonella both in caecal contents and through carcass swabs. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of recovered strains was tested against 15 antimicrobials. Salmonella was detected in 3/152 of the caecal contents (2.0 %), while all carcass samples were negative. S. enterica serovars Enteriditis, Typhimurium and Stanleyville were identified. The only AMR isolate was S. Typhimurium with AMR profile AmCStxT.
Considering the consumption of raw horse meat (i.e., minced raw meat named “pesto di cavallo” and dried and smoked strips named “sfilacci di cavallo”) in different areas of Northern Italy, we also investigated the possible link between horse meat eating and salmonellosis cases in the human population in the same area. Specifically, we compared the Salmonella strains collected during the study with those routinely processed in the laboratory surveillance system for human salmonellosis in Emilia-Romagna (a region with about 4.5 million inhabitants). The comparison was based on whole genome sequencing data through core genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST) used in routine surveillance. A genomic match in cgMLST was found between the strain of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis isolated from a horse caecal content and an enduring outbreak of 17 human cases in Emilia-Romagna during the study period. The consequent epidemiological investigation highlighted that a number of cases with known food history reported the consumption of horse meat and traced different batches of the consumed meat, released weeks apart from each other, to the slaughter investigated in the study. The results of the epidemiological investigation suggested the role of horses in the S. enterica serovar Enteritidis outbreak affecting raw horse meat consumers.
This study shows that, despite the low prevalence on equid carcasses, S. enterica in horse meat can represent a risk to consumers. From the perspective of the slaughter activities, this highlights the need to maintain a high level of hygiene during the entire process, starting from the hygiene at lairage up to the slaughtering phase and dressing of carcasses.
•Salmonella enterica was isolated from horses at slaughter in northern Italy.•S. enterica was detected in cecal contents, but not on carcasses.•S. enterica serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium and Stanleyville were typed.•Genomics and epidemiology of S. Enteritidis linked the strain to a human outbreak
Increasingly abundant food fraud cases have brought food authenticity and safety into major focus. This study presents a fast and effective way to identify meat products using rapid evaporative ...ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS). The experimental setup was demonstrated to be able to record a mass spectrometric profile of meat specimens in a time frame of <5 s. A multivariate statistical algorithm was developed and successfully tested for the identification of animal tissue with different anatomical origin, breed, and species with 100% accuracy at species and 97% accuracy at breed level. Detection of the presence of meat originating from a different species (horse, cattle, and venison) has also been demonstrated with high accuracy using mixed patties with a 5% detection limit. REIMS technology was found to be a promising tool in food safety applications providing a reliable and simple method for the rapid characterization of food products.
Hippophagy is a practice that is far from being consensual, even among meat eaters. Horse meat consumption remains limited or is even strongly declining in some countries such as France. However, the ...nutritional, organoleptic and environmental benefits of this meat invite us to consider horse meat products as a valuable alternative source of protein. This research therefore aims to identify and characterize different profiles of consumers and non-consumers of horse meat in terms of personal values, attitudes, motivations and behaviors. Based on data from a quantitative survey among 482 French meat consumers, we distinguish 4 categories of individuals: “Enthusiast”, “Distant”, “Aversive” and “Potential”. While “Distant” and “Aversive” show a low level of acceptability towards horse meat, “Enthusiast” and “Potential” reveal characteristics that are favorable to horse meat consumption. Targeted strategies to support the horse meat market are proposed and discussed in light of these results that also provide insight into the future for meat in general.
The consumption of horse-meat is currently not popular in most countries, but because of its availability and recognized nutritional value consumption is slowly increasing in several western European ...countries based on claims that it could be an alternative red meat. In this review, horse-meat production, trade and supply values have been summarized. In addition, the advantage of horse production is noted because of its lower methane emissions and increased uptake, particularly of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which is based on its digestive physiology. Of particular interest in this review is the unique fatty acid composition of horse-meat with its high level of the nutritionally desirable PUFAs in both the adipose and muscle fat. Because of its large frame size and digestive physiology, the horse can be considered an alternative to bovine meat, with large advantages regarding the maintenance of less favored mountain grazing areas and its facility to transfer PUFA from feed to meat.
•Horse-meat production, trade and supply, past and current•Digestive physiology of horse affects lipid profile of equine products.•Equine production is associated with lower methane emissions.•Nutritional quality of horse-meat has been evaluated.•Increased uptake of polyunsaturated fatty acids by horses improves meat quality.
The aim of this work was to analyze the influence of frozen storage and selected substances on the quality of horse meat. The research material consisted of samples of the longest thorax muscle ...obtained from 12 half-carcases of horses. The use of citric acid and calcium salts contributes to deterioration of hydration properties of horse meat. Extension of frozen storage time from 1 to 3 months resulted in a decrease in the value of water retaining capacity in the analysed raw material. Regardless of the length of frozen storage of horse meat, the applied substances reduced in a statistically significant way the values of hardness and stiffness of the analysed raw material. Extension of frozen storage time influenced the increase of pH value (statistically significant differences) of meat subjected to marinating only with citric acid.
Fraudulent blending of food products with meat from undeclared species is a problem on a global scale, as exemplified by the European horse meat scandal in 2013. Routinely used methods such as ELISA ...and PCR can suffer from limited sensitivity or specificity when processed food samples are analyzed. In this study, we have developed an optimized method for the detection of horse and pork in different processed food matrices using MRM and MRM3 detection of species-specific tryptic marker peptides. Identified marker peptides were sufficiently stable to resist thermal processing of different meat products and thus allow the sensitive and specific detection of pork or horse in processed food down to 0.24% in a beef matrix system. In addition, we were able to establish a rapid 2-min extraction protocol for the efficient protein extraction from processed food using high molar urea and thiourea buffers. Together, we present here the specific and sensitive detection of horse and pork meat in different processed food matrices using MRM-based detection of marker peptides. Notably, prefractionation of proteins using 2D-PAGE or off-gel fractionation is not necessary. The presented method is therefore easily applicable in analytical routine laboratories without dedicated proteomics background.
Global incidences of food mis-description and adulteration are increasing and international food trade is disrupted by frequent disputes over food safety and quality requirements. This report ...attempts to present authenticity concerns and discusses the role of regulatory authorities to circumvent the issues relating to meat authenticity. Science based technological solutions to combat fraud or accidental mislabeling are discussed. Allowances for adventitious presence and religious concerns are addressed. In conclusion collective action by continuous monitoring scheme along with improved detection methodologies and stringent regulation on defaulters will certainly minimize or even eliminate authentication problems in future.
PDF
