The objectives of this study were to determine the nutrient composition of grass-fed beef in the United States for inclusion in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, and to ...compare the fatty acid composition of grass-fed and conventionally fed (control) beef. Ground beef (GB) and strip steaks (SS) were collected on 3 separate occasions from 15 grass-fed beef producers that represented 13 different states, whereas control beef samples were collected from 3 regions (Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas) of the United States on 3 separate occasions. Concentrations of minerals, choline, vitamin B₁₂, and thiamine were determined for grass-fed beef samples. Grass-fed GB samples had less Mg, P, and K (P < 0.05), and more Na, Zn, and vitamin B₁₂ (P < 0.05) than SS samples. Fat color, marbling, and pH were assessed for grass-fed and control SS. Subjective evaluation of the SS indicated that grass-fed beef had fat that was more yellow in color than control beef. Percentages of total fat, total cholesterol, and fatty acids along with trans fatty acids and CLA were determined for grass-fed and control SS and GB. Grass-fed SS had less total fat than control SS (P = 0.001), but both grass-fed and control SS were considered lean, because their total fat content was 4.3% or less. For both GB and SS, grass-fed beef had significantly less (P = 0.001 and P = 0.023, respectively) content of MUFA and a greater content of SFA, n-3 fatty acids, CLA, and trans-vaccenic acid than did the control samples. Concentrations of PUFA, trans fatty acids, n-6 fatty acids, and cholesterol did not differ between grass-fed and control ground beef. Trans-vaccenic acid (trans-11 18:1) made up the greatest concentration of the total trans fats in grass-fed beef, whereas CLA accounted for approximately 15% of the total trans fats. Although the fatty acid composition of grass-fed and conventionally fed beef was different, conclusions on the possible effects of these differences on human health cannot be made without further investigation.
Sausages are privileged foods due to their diversity, nutritional value, deep roots in the culture of the peoples and economic importance. In order to increase the knowledge and to improve the ...quality and safety of these foods, an intense research activity was developed from the early decades of the past century. This book includes ten research works and a review showing important and interesting advances and new approaches in most of the research topics related to sausages. After an editorial of the Editor reflecting the aims and contents of the book, the initial five chapters deal with microbiological issues of the sausage manufacture (characterization and study of the bacterial communities of sausages, study of the metabolism and the technological and safety characteristics of concrete microbial strains, and use of starter cultures to improve the sausage quality). Chemical hazards also receive some attention in this book with a chapter on the optimization of the smoking process of traditional dry-cured meat products to minimize the presence of PAHs. The partial or total replacement of the traditional ingredients in sausages with unconventional raw materials for the obtaining of novel and varied products are the subject of three chapters. Next, a chapter is dedicated to another interesting topic, the search and the essay of natural substitutes for synthetic additives due to the increasing interest of consumers in healthier meat products. The book ends with an interesting review on the safety, quality and analytical authentication of halāl meat products, with particular emphasis on salami.
Comminuted meat products are highly susceptible to safety and quality degradation partly because of their large interfacial area in the emulsion. The food industry extensively uses synthetic chemical ...preservatives to delay that degradation which is caused by microbial growth, enzyme activities and oxidation reactions. However, due to the potential health damage (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers among others) synthetic preservatives in meat may cause, consumers are becoming skeptical to buy meat products containing such additives. In the meat industry, the interest of finding natural food preservatives is intensifying. Polyphenolic-rich plants used as natural food preservatives offer the best alternative for a partial or a complete replacement of their synthetic counterparts. They can be extracted from natural sources such as olives, fruits, grapes, vegetables, spices, herbs, and algae, and among others. The common feature of these phenolic compounds is that they have one or more aromatic rings with one or more -OH group which are essential for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This review article is intended to provide an overview of the plant-based phenolic molecules used as natural food preservative, their antimicrobial and antioxidant mechanism of action, and their potential application in comminuted meat.
The effect of HHP treatment (600
MPa) on the oxidative stability of lipids and proteins of vacuum-packaged Iberian dry-cured ham and the impact on the sensory characteristics of the product was ...investigated. In order to assess how different commercial presentations are affected by HHP treatment, three different presentations of vacuum-packaged Iberian dry-cured ham were considered, namely, (i) intact format (IF) corresponding to non-sliced vacuum-packaged dry-cured ham, (ii) conventional-sliced format (CSF) corresponding to dry-cured ham slices placed stretched out in the package and (iii) alternative-sliced format (ASF) corresponding to dry-cured ham slices piled up horizontally. The oxidation of dry-cured ham lipids and proteins was enhanced by HHP-treatment with the presentation being highly influential on these oxidative reactions. Pre-slicing dry-cured ham results in a more susceptible product to oxidative reactions during pressurisation and subsequent refrigerated storage. Possible mechanisms, by which HHP-induced oxidative reactions would affect particular sensory traits in vacuum-packaged Iberian dry-cured ham such as colour, texture and flavour attributes, are discussed.
Although Australians on average consume large quantities of meat, their attitudes to farm animal welfare are poorly understood. We know little about how farm animal production is discussed in ...Australian households or how children learn about the origins of meat. This study consisted of an online survey completed by 225 primary carers throughout Australia recruited through social media. Findings include that conversations about the origin of meat were generally stimulated by meal preparation within the home rather than visits to agricultural shows or similar activities. Parents preferred to initiate conversations with children about meat production before they were 5 years of age. Urban parents were more likely than rural parents to reveal that they were conflicted about eating meat and would be more empathetic to children who chose to stop eating meat. Rural parents were more likely than urban parents to feel that children should eat what they are given and that talking about meat is not a major issue. Both groups felt that it was important that children should know where their food comes from. The findings of this study suggest that parental attitudes to meat production and consumption influence conversations about meat origins with children.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer perceptions of more sustainable protein alternatives to conventional meat.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method design of interviews and ...an online survey identified key drivers and barriers to the consumption of laboratory-grown meat, edible insects and plant-based meat substitutes, with meat attachment accounted for in analyses. Differences between personal preference and perceptions of alternative proteins’ role in addressing global environmental concerns were also explored.
Findings
Findings indicated that plant-based substitutes were favoured for personal consumption for moral and ethical reasons and edible insects were least favoured due to aversion. Meat attachment was significantly associated with personal willingness to consume alternative proteins in each of the three cases. Results challenged previous research that had proposed that when considering the effectiveness of certain alternatives in addressing global environmental issues, people may advocate them but not want to consume them personally. Results imply that the congruity of these perceptions is more complex.
Research limitations/implications
Avenues for future research, including applications for exploring tailored marketing are suggested based on the preliminary findings of this study.
Originality/value
This study asked consumers to consider three alternative proteins alongside one another for the first time, exploring how meat attachment is associated with perceptions and quantifying the congruity of consumers’ personal perceptions and global perceptions of these alternative proteins.
Red meat and processed meat have been suggested to increase risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), especially colon cancer. However, it remains unclear whether these associations differ according to meat ...subtypes or colon subsites. The present study addressed this issue by undertaking a pooled analysis of large population‐based cohort studies in Japan: 5 studies comprising 232 403 participants (5694 CRC cases) for analysis based on frequency of meat intake, and 2 studies comprising 123 635 participants (3550 CRC cases) for analysis based on intake quantity. Study‐specific hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model and then pooled using the random effect model. Comparing the highest vs lowest quartile, beef intake was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer in women (pooled HR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.44) and distal colon cancer (DCC) risk in men (pooled HR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05‐1.61). Frequent intake of pork was associated with an increased risk of distal colon cancer in women (pooled HR 1.44; 95% CI, 1.10‐1.87) for “3 times/wk or more” vs “less than 1 time/wk”. Frequent intake of processed red meat was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer in women (pooled HR 1.39; 95% CI, 0.97‐2.00; P trend = .04) for “almost every day” vs “less than 1 time/wk”. No association was observed for chicken consumption. The present findings support that intake of beef, pork (women only), and processed red meat (women only) might be associated with a higher risk of colon (distal colon) cancer in Japanese.
As shown in figure A and figure B, comparing the highest versus lowest quartile, beef intake was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer in women (pooled HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.01‐1.44) and distal colon cancer (DCC) risk in men (pooled HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.05‐1.61). Figure C shows that frequent intake of pork was associated with an increased risk of DCC in women (pooled HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.10‐1.87) for “3 times/week or more” versus “<1time/week”. Figure D shows that frequent intake of processed red meat was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer in women (pooled HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.97‐2.00; p‐trend=0.04) for “almost every day” versus “<1 time/week”.
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium and commonly detected in a wide range of foodstuffs. The purpose of this work was to monitor the presence ...of OTA in cheeses and pork meat products. A simple and accurate “dilute and shoot” method with no need of immunoaffinity column and isotopic labeled internal standard, by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, was validated in accordance with the criteria set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No. 401/2006. The method showed good linearity in solvent and in matrix (R2 ≥ 0.995), limit of detection was 0.2 µg/kg for cheese and 0.3 µg/kg for pork meat products, limit of quantification was fixed at 1 µg/kg, and recovery was estimated at two different concentration levels (1 and 5 µg/kg) and ranged from 75% to 101%. The interday and intraday laboratory precisions were lower than 7%. The matrix effect, the recovery of the extraction process, and the overall process efficiency were evaluated. No significant ME was observed in the two matrices considered. This method was applied to the analysis of 75 samples, coming from official controls implemented by the Lazio Region (Central Italy). In one sample of dry‐cured ham, the concentration found (69.3 µg/kg) was well above the guidance value recommended by the Italian Ministry of Health (1 µg/kg). These data together with the detection of OTA in three grated cheeses suggest the importance of monitoring these products. Considering the high dietary intake of these matrices, especially among vulnerable populations, further research should be devoted to estimate exposure and risk assessment for OTA.
Vegetarians have argued at great length that meat-eating is wrong. Even so, the vast majority of people continue to eat meat, and even most vegetarians eventually give up on their diets. Does this ...prove these people must be morally corrupt?
In Why It’s OK to Eat Meat, Dan C. Shahar argues the answer is no: it’s entirely possible to be an ethical person while continuing to eat meat—and not just the “fancy” offerings from the farmers’ market but also the regular meat we find at most supermarkets and restaurants. Shahar’s examination forcefully echoes vegetarians’ concerns about the meat industry’s impacts on animals, workers, the environment, and public health. However, he shows that the most influential ethical arguments for avoiding meat on the basis of these considerations are ultimately unpersuasive. Instead of insisting we all become vegetarians, Shahar argues each of us has broad latitude to choose which of the world’s problems to tackle, in what ways, and to what extents, and hence people can decline to take up this particular form of activism without doing anything wrong.
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