Comparison of antioxidant compounds in pig meat from Italian autochthonous pig Suino Nero Lucano and a modern crossbred pig before and after cooking

Exploring the impact of barberry extract and grilling on oxidative and nitrosative reactions in fermented sausages: Insights into lipid-protein oxidation, nitrosamine, and 3-nitrotyrosine as a potential biomarker

This study examines the effect of barberry extract (BE) on the oxidative and nitrosative stability, as well as the quality, of meat batter, fermented sausages, and grilled sausages. Four groups were tested: Control (no BE), B200 (200 mg/kg BE), B300 (300 mg/kg BE), and B400 (400 mg/kg BE). BE exhibited high total phenolic content (46.33 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (92.93 %), with a pH of 3.80. LC-QTOF-MS identified key compounds such as chlorogenic acid, quercetin, and canadine, known for their antioxidative properties. BE significantly reduced nitrite content, demonstrating pH-dependent nitrite-scavenging activity. Higher concentrations (B300, B400) led to reduced redness (a*), indicating slight changes in color stability. BE also inhibited lipid-protein oxidation, with lower peroxide values, TBARS, carbonyls, and sulfhydryls, and significantly reduced 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) and nitrosamine concentrations (P < 0.05). Despite cooking-induced increases in nitrosamines, BE minimized this rise, keeping nitrosamine levels lower than the control (P < 0.05). The correlation between 3-NT levels and oxidation products suggests 3-NT as a potential biomarker for oxidative stress. These findings suggest that BE enhances antioxidant properties, mitigates nitrosative stress, and improves the quality of meat products.

Analytical Methods and Effects of Bioactive Peptides Derived from Animal Products: A Mini-Review

Peptides with bioactive effects are being researched for various purposes. However, there is a lack of overall research on pork-derived peptides. In this study, we reviewed the process of obtaining bioactive peptides, available analytical methods, and the study of bioactive peptides derived from pork. Pepsin and trypsin, two representative protein digestive enzymes in the body, are hydrolyzed by other cofactors to produce peptides. Bicinchoninic acid assay, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, chromatography, and in vitro digestion simulation systems are utilized to analyze bioactive peptides for protein digestibility and molecular weight distribution. Pork-derived peptides mainly exhibit antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. The antioxidant activity of bioactive peptides increases the accessibility of amino acid residues by disrupting the three-dimensional structure of proteins, affecting free radical scavenging, reactive oxygen species inactivation, and metal ion chelating. In addition, the antihypertensive activity decreases angiotensin II production by inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme and suppresses blood pressure by blocking the AT1 receptor. Pork-derived bioactive peptides, primarily obtained using papain and pepsin, exhibit significant antioxidant and antihypertensive activities, with most having low molecular weights below 1 kDa. This study may aid in the future development of bioactive peptides and serve as a valuable reference for pork-derived peptides.

Quality and sensorial evaluation of beef burgers added with Sicilian sumac (Rhus coriaria L)

The Sicilian sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) is considered an excellent source of natural polyphenols whose antioxidant activity is able to affect specific technological functions. The effect of the Rhus coriaria addition on the quality of beef burgers before and after cooking was evaluated, by pH, colour, protein (-SH) and lipid oxidation, total phenol content and antioxidant activity (ABTS assay). The sumac in burgers (THs) resulted in a significant increase in all dry matter components (P < 0.05), while water content and pH value decreased. Furthermore, THs, compared with control burgers (CHs), were characterised by lower L* and peroxidation values and higher a* and b* values (p < 0.05). The Rhus added in the burgers positively influenced the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity values. Cooking reduced content of phenols, -SH groups and antioxidant activity. However, in THs the reduction of -SH, phenols and antioxidant activity was more limited than in CHs (p < 0.05). Sensory analysis showed a higher appreciation for THs by consumers for all the considered attributes. The ground meat incorporated with sumac could be a valid strategy to improve its quality and sensorial evaluation.

Antioxidant Activity of Beef, Pork and Chicken Burgers before and after Cooking and after In Vitro Intestinal Digestion

The aim of the present work was to evaluate and compare in vitro the antioxidant activity of raw, cooked and cooked-digested pork, beef and chicken burgers. The cooking process influenced the antioxidant capacity of the meat by decreasing the values of ABTS, FRAP and the content of free thiols. Conversely, a positive effect was observed after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion which increased the biological activity of the meat, characterised by greater antioxidant activity. The type of meat influenced the chemical composition and biological capacity of the burgers. In fact, both before and after the cooking process, beef burgers showed higher thiol content and, consequently, a higher oxidative stability of proteins than chicken and pork burgers. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion also improved the nutraceutical quality of beef burgers, which showed higher ABTS values and thiol content than pork burgers, which showed higher FRAP values. This work aims to support the potential of meat constituents as a natural antioxidant component that is essential to counteract the oxidative stress responsible for imbalances in the human organism and several cardiovascular diseases.

Direct Solar Oven with and without UV Filter vs. Traditional Oven: Effect on Polyphenolic Antioxidants, Vitamins and Carotenoids of Food

The use of efficient solar ovens can be a way for progressing ecofriendly technologies in the field of food preparation. In most performing direct solar ovens, the sun rays reach the foods directly, therefore, it becomes essential to check whether, in these conditions, foods can retain theirnutraceutical properties (antioxidants, vitamins and carotenoids). In the present research work, to investigate this issue, several foods (vegetables, meats, and a fish sample) were analyzed before and after cooking (traditional oven, solar oven, and solar oven with a UV filter). The content of lipophilic vitamins and carotenoids (analyzed via HPLC-MS) and the variation of total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity (via Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH assays) have evidenced that cooking with the direct solar oven allows to preserve some nutrients (i.e., tocopherols) and, sometimes, to enhance nutraceutical properties of vegetables (for example, solar oven-cooked eggplants showed 38% higher TPC compared to electric oven cooked sample) and meats. The specific isomerization of all-trans-β-carotene to 9-cis was also detected. The use of a UV filter is advisable to avoid UV drawbacks (for instance, a significant carotenoid degradation) without losing the beneficial effects of the other radiations.

Measurement of Antioxidant Capacity of Meat and Meat Products: Methods and Applications

At present, a wide variety of analytical methods is available to measure antioxidant capacity. However, this great diversity is not reflected in the analysis of meat and meat products, as there are a limited number of studies on determining this parameter in this complex food matrix. Despite this, and due to the interest in antioxidants that prevent oxidation reactions, the identification of antioxidants in meat and meat products is of special importance to the meat industry. For this reason, this review compiled the main antioxidant capacity assays employed in meat and meat products, to date, describing their foundations, and showing both their advantages and limitations. This review also looked at the different applications of antioxidant properties in meat and meat products. In this sense, the suitability of using these methodologies has been demonstrated in different investigations related to these foods.

Untargeted and Targeted Metabolomics Profiling of Muscle Reveals Enhanced Meat Quality in Artificial Pasture Grazing Tan Lambs via Rescheduling the Rumen Bacterial Community

Tan is a local fat-tail sheep that is famous for its great eating quality but with little attention to its meat metabolome. The aim of this study was to investigate Tan-lamb meat metabolome as well as the key rumen bacteria related to the beneficial compound deposition in the muscle using untargeted and targeted metabolomics under different feeding regimes: indoor feeding (F), artificial pasture grazing with indoor feeding (GF), and pure artificial pasture grazing (G). The untargeted metabolome was detected by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Ruminal bacterial communities were detected by 16S rRNA sequencing. Using untargeted metabolomics, the main three altered metabolic pathways in the lamb, including amino acid, lipid, and nucleotide metabolisms, were found in the G group compared to the GF and F groups. Increased N-acetyl-l-aspartic acid, N-acetylaspartylglutamate, acetylcarnitine, and l-carnitine, but decreased carnosine and creatinine, were the main newly found G group-associated metabolites, which might contribute to the improved lamb meat functional quality. Compared to the F group, the G group feeding increased the contents of sweet amino acids (e.g., glycine, alanine, serine, and threonine) and umami amino acids (e.g., glutamic acid and aspartic acid) in the muscle, and G and GF groups increased the level of meat polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), especially the concentration of n3 PUFA, and reduced n6/n3 in the muscle by targeted metabolomics. The abundance of ruminal Moryella was decreased, and Schwartzia and Anaeroplasma were increased in the G group, which were both strongly correlated with the n3 PUFA and other functional compounds in the muscle of lambs. In conclusion, artificial pasture grazing modified the meat amino acid and fatty acid composition as well as the related biological pathways through rescheduling the rumen bacterial community, which would be a better selection for production of healthier lamb meat products.

Total Phenol Content and Antioxidant Activity of Different Celta Pig Carcass Locations as Affected by the Finishing Diet (Chestnuts or Commercial Feed)

The objective of this research was to evaluate the total phenol content, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) and commercial feed employed in the finishing diet of the Celta pig breed and analyze the effect of the feeding (chestnuts vs. commercial feed) in the finishing diet on total phenol content and antioxidant activity of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, Psoas major, and Biceps femoris muscles and liver of the Celta pig breed. The antioxidant activity of the feed and animal tissue was investigated using three antioxidant methods (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2-2'-Azino-di-[3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonate] (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay). The determination of the total phenol content and total flavonoids showed that chestnut had a significantly lower concentration than commercial feed in these compounds (130.00 vs. 312.89 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g fresh weight and 8.58 vs. 32.18 mg catechin equivalents/100 g fresh weight, respectively). However, the results displayed that chestnuts had a higher antioxidant activity when compared with the commercial feed through the DPPH and ABTS methods (1152.42 vs. 957.33 µg Trolox equivalents/g fresh weight, and 9379.74 vs. 7613.44 µg Trolox equivalents/g fresh weight, for DPPH and ABTS assay, respectively), while the antioxidant activity measured by the FRAP assay turned out to show higher values for commercial feed (1777.49 and 1946.09 µmol Fe2+/100 fresh weight for chestnut and commercial feed, respectively), although significant differences were only found in the ABTS assay. On the other hand, the present study found that chestnut significantly reduces the total phenol content and declines the antioxidant activity of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, Psoas major, and Biceps femoris muscles and liver of the Celta pig breed. Finally, it has been found that liver is the location that has the best antioxidant characteristics compared to any muscle, regardless of diet utilized.

Influence of the Inclusion of Chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller) in the Finishing Diet and Cooking Technique on the Physicochemical Parameters and Volatile Profile of Biceps femoris Muscle

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the diet (chestnut vs. commercial feed) and cooking techniques (roasting, grilling, frying and microwaving) on the quality of the Biceps femoris muscle of the Celta pig breed. Chemical composition, physicochemical parameters, oxidative stability and volatile profile were analysed. Overall, the inclusion of chestnuts did not affect the chemical composition, except for intramuscular fat content, which was higher in chestnut-fed pigs. The colour and shear force of cooked Biceps femoris were not affected by the finishing diet. However, a significant increase in cooking losses and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value was found with the chestnuts included in the diet. In addition, the inclusion of chestnuts also modified some volatile compound that could be associated with the diet, such as furan, 2-pentyl. On the other hand, the cooking method significantly affected chemical composition (moisture, fat, protein and ash content), colour parameters, cooking loss, TBARS and volatile profile, whereas the shear force was not affected. Concretely, fried and microwave were the techniques that led to a greater presence of intramuscular fat. In addition, the frying method also showed the highest a* value, whereas the microwaved technique displayed the highest cooking loss. Regarding lipid oxidation, the fried method displayed the lower TBARS and hexanal content. On the other hand, the major volatile compounds were aldehydes in all cooking methods except for the frying technique in chestnut samples. Finally, method-frying displayed the lowest amount of total volatiles compounds, unlike grilling.

Proximate Composition and Nutritional Profile of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Heads and Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus Pelamis) Heads

In order to evaluate the application potential of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) heads and skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) heads; proximate composition, amino acids, fatty acids, carnosine, and anserine contents were analyzed in this study. Rainbow trout heads showed significantly higher protein (29.31 g/100 g FW, FW is abbreviation of fresh weight) and lipid (6.03 g/100 g FW) contents than skipjack tuna heads (18.47 g/100 g FW protein and 4.83 g/100 g FW lipid) (p < 0.05). Rainbow trout heads and skipjack tuna heads exhibited similar amino acid composition. Essential amino acids constituted more than 40% of total amino acids in both rainbow trout head and skipjack tuna head. The fatty acid profile was different between rainbow trout heads and skipjack tuna heads. Rainbow trout heads mainly contained 38.64% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and 38.57% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), whereas skipjack tuna heads mainly contained 54.46% saturated fatty acids (SFAs). Skipjack tuna heads contained 4563 mg/kg FW anserine and 1761 mg/kg FW carnosine, which were both significantly higher than those of rainbow trout heads (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that both rainbow trout heads and skipjack tuna heads may be used as materials for recycling high-quality protein. Meanwhile, rainbow trout heads can be used to extract oil with high contents of unsaturated fatty acids, while skipjack tuna heads may be a source for obtaining carnosine and anserine.