Effects of calcium salts on beef longissimus quality

Ultrasound-assisted low-sodium salt curing to modify the quality characteristics of beef for aging

Meat products for elderly people are high in sodium content and hardness. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore how ultrasound-assisted low-sodium salting improves meat quality and determine the conditions that result in meat tenderness ideal for people aged 65-74 years. The ultrasound-assisted treatment of bovine hip muscle with non-sodium salt (CaCl2 and C6H10CaO6) was adopted, followed by sous vide (SV) cooking (65 ℃ for 8-12 h). Results showed that ultrasound-assisted low-sodium salt curing can considerably reduce the shear force and hardness of beef (P < 0.05), promote the diffusion of Na+ (P < 0.05), and increase water content (P < 0.05), consistent with the water mobility results of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance. The tenderized effects were examined by Raman spectroscopy, which showed that the ordered α-helix and β-fold contents of the meat proteins decreased, and disordered β-turn and random coil contents increased after heat treatment with ultrasound-assisted low-sodium salt curing. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the degree of muscle fiber destruction by ultrasound-assisted low-sodium salt curing combined with heat treatment was higher than that observed after traditional cooking with high amounts of sodium. With regard to tenderness, beef marinated with ultrasound-assisted C6H10CaO6 and subjected for 10 h was preferred by people aged 65-74 years. Ultrasound-assisted low-sodium salt curing can improvements on simultaneously reduce the sodium content and enhance the tenderness of meat products for elderly people, and provides an ultrasonic scheme for meat processing using non-sodium salt.

Unraveling the Complexities of Beef Marination: Effect of Marinating Time, Marination Treatments, and Breed

The present study focused on evaluating the effects of beef marination on quality traits and consumer acceptability. In this context, m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum and m. semimembranosus samples (n = 192) were obtained from Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Charolais, and Limousine bulls and were marinated with milk (pasteurized, 100%), garlic and olive oil (2.35 g/500 mL), and lemon (citrus) juice (31% orange juice, 31% lemon juice, 38% distilled water) for 12, 24, and 72 h. Marinade components were selected based on traditional culinary practices and their scientifically proven effects on meat quality. Beef samples on day 0 and non-marinated samples were used as control groups. Beef color, water holding capacity, pH, cooking loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force were measured three times for each sample. A taste panel assessment was performed to determine the sensory characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear model (GLM) procedures followed by Tukey's post-hoc comparison. Results revealed that marination time, as well as its two- and three-way interactions, significantly influenced beef quality parameters. These results indicate that the cattle breed is an important factor in evaluating the effectiveness of beef marination applications. The olive oil-garlic marinade was the most preferred by the panel across both types of muscle, as indicated by sensory evaluation results. The findings will not only enrich the scientific literature but also have practical implications for the beef industry.

Recent advancements in the utilization of ultrasonic technology for the curing of processed meat products: A comprehensive review

Curation meat products involves multiple stages, including pre-curing processing (thawing, cleaning, and cutting), curing itself, and post-curing processing (freezing, and packaging). Ultrasound are nonthermal processing technology widely used in food industry. This technology is preferred because it reduces the damages caused by traditional processing techniques on food, while simultaneously improving the nutritional properties and processing characteristics of food. The utilization of ultrasonic-assisted curing technology has attracted significant attention within the realm of meat product curing, encouraging extensive research efforts. In terms of curing meat products, ultrasonic-assisted curing technology has been widely studied due to its advantages of accelerating the curing speed, reducing nutrient loss, and improving the tenderness of cured meats. Therefore, this article aims to comprehensively review the application and mechanism of ultrasound technology in various stages of meat product curing. Furthermore, it also elaborates the effects of ultrasonic-assisted curing on the tenderness, water retention, and flavor substances of the meat products during the curing process. Besides, the implication of the ultrasound in the processing of meat curation plays a potent role together with other technologies or methods. The use of ultrasound technology in the process of meat curation was analyzed, which might be a theoretical insight for the industrialization prospects of the meat product.

Effect of sodium salt on meat products and reduction sodium strategies - A review

Sodium salt is one of the important additives in food processing. However, excessive intake of sodium salt may cause a series of cardiovascular diseases. Nowadays, sodium intake in most countries is higher than the World Health Organization recommends maximum consumption (5 g/d). 20% of the sodium intake in diets comes from meat products. Therefore, reducing the content of sodium salt in meat products and developing sodium salt-reduction meat products have attracted more and more attention for consumers. In this paper, the roles of sodium salt in meat product processing were reviewed. At the same time, sodium salt reduction strategies and existing problems were summarized and discussed. Multiple factors need to be considered to improve the salt-reduction meat product's quality. Relying on a single technology has a narrow application area, and it is difficult to achieve salt reduction. Therefore, a combination of multiple strategies could obtain a more ideal effect.

Shelf-Life Prediction and Thermodynamic Properties of No Added Sugar Chocolate Spread Fortified with Multiple Micronutrients

The development of fortified healthy pleasant foods, in which saturated fats are replaced with unsaturated ones, poses a challenge for the food industry due to their susceptibility to oxidative rancidity, which decreases product shelf-life, causes the destruction of health-promoting molecules, and forms potentially toxic compounds. A comparative study applying the Arrhenius model was carried out to investigate the oxidative stability and predict the shelf-life of a newly developed no added sugar chocolate spread formulated with sunflower oil, and fortified with vitamin D, Mg, and Ca checked against two commercially available spreads: No Palm and a well-known commercially available product (RB). The results obtained from the accelerated shelf-life testing for peroxide value (PV) showed relatively higher activation energy (Ea, 14.48 kJ/mol K) for RB, whereas lower Ea (11.31–12.78 kJ/mol K) was obtained for No Palm and all the experimental spread chocolates. Q10 values were comparable (1.202–1.154), indicating a similar catalytic effect of the temperature upon the oxidation rate across all the investigated samples. The positive Gibbs free energies ranged from 75.014 to 83.550 kJ/mol and pointed out that the lipid oxidation reaction in the chocolate spread was an endergonic process. The predicted shelf-life at 293.15 K was 8.57 months (RB), 7 months (No Palm), and 6.8 months for all the experimental spreadable chocolate. However, the higher production of hydroperoxides was observed in chocolate fortified with magnesium-calcium carbonate nanoparticles and stored at 313.15 and 323.15 K, suggesting these particles may enhance lipid oxidation.

Effects of Calcium Salts on the Physicochemical Quality of Cured Beef Sausages during Manufacturing and Storage: A Potential Calcium Application for Sausages with Alginate Casings

The impacts of adding calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and calcium lactate (CaLac) with different concentrations (0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.7%) on the physicochemical properties of cured beef sausages were investigated in this study. Meat color, pH, lipid oxidation, and cooking loss were measured at respective manufacturing stages (ground beef, raw chopped batter, and after cooking). Additionally, meat color, pH, lipid oxidation, nitrosylhemochrome, residual nitrite, and texture profiles of vacuum-packaged sausages were evaluated during seven days of storage. Compared with the control (no Ca added), both calcium salts resulted in deteriorative color and texture properties, and promoted pH decline, cooking loss, and lipid oxidation of sausages during manufacturing and storage. However, increased calcium salt addition led to the reduction of residual nitrite over time. Compared to CaCl₂ addition, 0.2-0.4% CaLac resulted in greater redness and oxidative stability and softer texture. These results may be useful when considering calcium salt additions in sausages, for the purpose of co-extruded sausages coated with alginate where Ca salts are used to form the casing during the co-extrusion of the sausages.

The Quality of Horsemeat and Selected Methods of Improving the Properties of This Raw Material

Horsemeat has a strictly defined group of consumers whose demand varies depending on the country or region. There is no tradition of consuming horsemeat in Poland. From a technological point of view, this raw material is as good as other types of meat. In the opinion of the consumer, compared to other species of animals, horsemeat is characterized by an intense red-brown colour and greater cohesiveness resulting from the type of muscle fibres. This meat has a sweetish taste due to the high carbohydrate content. The management of horsemeat often involves the use of modern freezing methods. Freezing horsemeat with the use of liquefied carbon dioxide is a method that increases its suitability for consumption as well as for export purposes in comparison with the traditional air-cooling method. To eliminate the unfavourable quality features of horsemeat, there are substances used to improve the functional and sensory properties of this meat. This paper discusses the research and development work carried out in the field of horsemeat quality and selected methods contributing to its improvement.

Effect of High Pressure, Calcium Chloride and ZnO-Ag Nanoparticles on Beef Color and Shear Stress

This study investigates how the use of a combination of high-pressure treatment, steak marination and active packaging influences beef color and shear stress. A 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 factorial design was applied, including pressure, marination, packaging and storage time. Many significant interactions among factors were found, but the effects of pressure and marination were so high that the effect of packaging was almost undetectable. Independent of storage type, pressurized treatments presented higher values for both L* and hab than unpressurized treatments, and independent of pressure application, the increase in L* and hab with storage time was higher for marinated treatments than for unmarinated treatments. In unpressurized samples, marination provoked an increase in L*, a* and hab and a decrease in Cab*, whereas in pressurized samples, marination had no effect on color. Pressurized samples always showed higher values for shear stress (on average 71% higher) than unpressurized samples.

Effect of the Calpain System on Volatile Flavor Compounds in the Beef Longissimus lumborum Muscle

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of calpain system on the formation of volatile flavor compounds in Hanwoo beef. In the first experiment (exp.1), Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle samples were injected with solutions containing 50 mM CaCl2 or 50 mM ZnCl2 and 154 mM NaCl respectively, and aged for 7 d at 4°C. In the second experiment (exp.2), the ground LL muscle was incubated with the aforementioned solutions containing cathepsin inhibitor. The injection with CaCl2 solution greatly elevated the calpain activity and concomitantly, significantly decreased the Warner-Bratzler shear force (p<0.05). The pH, meat color and cooking loss did not differ (p>0.05) between the treatment groups. A total of 51 volatile compounds were identified using the solid phase microextraction with gas chromatography (SPME-GC). Results on volatile analyses from the both experiments showed that the injection with calcium ions led to significant increase (p<0.05) concentrations of pyrazines and sulfuric compounds. These results coincide with a higher rate of protein degradation due to the CaCl2 injection as compared to the control group. Significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of lipid oxidation derived-aldehydes were found in the samples with ZnCl2. The exp.1 showed that cathepsin inhibitors had no effect on the formation of volatile flavor components after 7 d of aging. These results imply that the proteolytic activity of the calpain system is associated with generation of volatile compounds of chiller-aged beef, while the role of cathepsins is likely very limited.

Effects of Pre and Post-Rigor Marinade Injection on Some Quality Parameters of Longissimus Dorsi Muscles

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of pre and post-rigor marinade injections on some quality parameters of Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles. Three marinade formulations were prepared with 2% NaCl, 2% NaCl+0.5 M lactic acid and 2% NaCl+0.5 M sodium lactate. In this study marinade uptake, pH, free water, cooking loss, drip loss and color properties were analyzed. Injection time had significant effect on marinade uptake levels of samples. Regardless of marinate formulation, marinade uptake of pre-rigor samples injected with marinade solutions were higher than post rigor samples. Injection of sodium lactate increased pH values of samples whereas lactic acid injection decreased pH. Marinade treatment and storage period had significant effect on cooking loss. At each evaluation period interaction between marinade treatment and injection time showed different effect on free water content. Storage period and marinade application had significant effect on drip loss values. Drip loss in all samples increased during the storage. During all storage days, lowest CIE L* value was found in pre-rigor samples injected with sodium lactate. Lactic acid injection caused color fade in pre-rigor and post-rigor samples. Interaction between marinade treatment and storage period was found statistically significant (p<0.05). At day 0 and 3, the lowest CIE b* values obtained pre-rigor samples injected with sodium lactate and there were no differences were found in other samples. At day 6, no significant differences were found in CIE b* values of all samples.

Postmortem role of calpain-11 in ostrich skeletal muscle

The postmortem calpain-11 role in ostrich muscle was investigated. Pairs of ostrich muscle (Iliotibialis cranialis) were excised from 32 ostrich carcasses in 3-h postmortem and randomly assigned into four treatments. The muscle was cut into 2.5-cm thick meat cores. The cores were incubated in 30 mM CaCl₂, 30 mM EDTA, 90 mM NaCl, or control. The cores from the left-side carcasses were sampled after 0, 1, 2, and 3 days of incubation at 5 °C, while the right-side meat cores were taken at 1-day and 3-day incubation for shear force measurements. The results showed that the decrease in unautolyzed and total activities of calpain-11, desmin content and shear force was more rapid in CaCl₂-incubated samples than in control, NaCl- and EDTA-incubated samples. Thus, present results suggest that in the absence of calpain-1, calpain-11 with an extensive activation by adding exogenous Ca²⁺ could enhance the postmortem proteolysis and tenderization of ostrich muscle.

Effects of dietary supplementation of organic minerals on the performance of broiler chicks fed oxidised soybean oil

The oxidation (rancidity) of fat is a very common feed quality issue, which can negatively affect growth performance and meat quality of broilers. Besides other factors, metal ions such as Zn, Cu and Fe can facilitate lipid peroxidation in feed. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of feeding corn soy diets containing fresh or oxidised soybean oil with different forms of microminerals on production performance of broiler chicks. Dietary treatments consisted of a 2 × 2 factorial structure with two kinds of soybean oil (oxidised or fresh) and two forms of microminerals (inorganic or organic). Mineral proteinate (Bioplex®, Alltech Inc.) including Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe was used as the organic source and was supplemented at the level equivalent to 25% of an inorganic source in the control diets. Organic selenium (Sel-Plex®, Alltech Inc.) at 0.3 mg/kg of diet was used to replace sodium selenite used at 0.3 mg/kg of diet in control diet. Oxidised soybean oil was prepared by convection heat (90°C for a period of seven days in a convection oven). A total of 1152 one-day old chicks were allotted randomly to the four dietary treatments using 12 replicates of 24 chicks per pen. Chicks were raised in floor pens for 42 days in an environmentally controlled room with free access to feed and water. There was no statistical interaction between oil source and mineral form on performance or mineral content of breast meat. Feeding oxidised oil increased (P < 0.05) feed intake and decreased gain to feed ratio (FCE) of chicks. Supplementation with organic minerals improved (P < 0.05) weight gain and FCE of chicks. The breast meat of chicks fed organic mineral had higher (P < 0.01) Se content than those from the control group. The results indicated that the addition of organic minerals to broiler diets can minimise the negative impact of oxidised oil on the performance of broiler chicks.

Effect of Calcium Lactate on Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Shank Bone Extract

This study was conducted to develop calcium-fortified shank bone extract (SBE) and to determine the effect of adding calcium lactate on physico-chemical characteristics of SBE during cold storage. The following five experiment groups were used: Control (0%, no addition), T1 (0.05% calcium lactate), T2 (0.1% calcium lactate), T3 (0.5% calcium lactate), and T4 (1% calcium lactate). When the concentration of calcium lactate added to the SBE was increased, the pH, redness, and yellowness values were significantly reduced, whereas the salinity, sugar content, and turbidity of SBE were significantly increased. Sensory parameters such as aroma, flavor, and overall acceptability in the control, T1, and T2 had similar scores. The TBARS values of SBE was significantly increased when 1% of calcium lactate was added, and the VBN values of SBE with calcium lactate at day 7 were higher than that of control (p<0.05). However, the addition of calcium lactate showed an inhibition effect on the growth of total microbial counts in SBE until 4 d of storage. The calcium content of SBE was increased by the addition of calcium lactate in a dose-dependently manner. The proper addition level of calcium lactate in the SBE was determined to be 0.1%.

Effects of injection of hydrolysis plasma protein solution on the antioxidant properties in porcine M. Longissimus Lumborum

BACKGROUND

Plasma protein hydrolysates have been shown to possess antioxidant activity. However, no report has yet to examine the antioxidant effects of injection of plasma protein hydrolysates on meat quality. Therefore, in this study, the effects of injection of hydrolysis plasma protein solution on meat quality and storability were investigated in porcine M. longissimus lumborum.

METHODS

Twelve pigs were randomly selected at a commercial slaughter plant and harvested. Dissected loins were injected with one of five solutions: C- control (untreated), T1- 10 mM phosphate buffer solution (PBS), T2- 10 mM PBS with 0.01 % butylated hydroxytoluene, T3- 10 mM PBS with 5 % plasma proteins, and T4- 10 mM PBS with 5 % hydrolysis plasma proteins.

RESULTS

T3 and T4 induced greater reduction in protein content of the loin muscle than other treatments. T2 resulted in the lowest pH as well as highest cooking loss. After a storage period of 3-7 days, both lightness and redness of meat were unaffected by all injection treatments. However, yellowness was significantly elevated by treatment with T4 relative to the control. T4 also resulted in the lowest shear force (a measure of meat toughness), suggesting improvement of texture or tenderness. Further, T4 resulted in the most stable TBARS values during storage, indicating that this treatment might retard rancidity in meat.

CONCLUSION

Injection of porcine M. longissimus lumborum with hydrolysis plasma protein solution could improve overall pork quality, including tenderness and storability.

Antimicrobial Effect of Calcium Chloride Alone and Combined with Lactic Acid Injected into Chicken Breast Meat

Chicken breast meat was injected with calcium chloride alone and in combination with lactic acid (0.01% and 0.002%, respectively). The inhibitory effects of the treatments on microbial growth were determined in the injected chicken breast meat stored at 4°C under aerobic packaging condition for 0, 3, and 7 d. Calcium chloride combined with 0.002% and 0.01% lactic acid reduced microbial counts by 0.14 and 1.08 Log CFU/g, respectively, however, calcium chloride alone was unable to inhibit microbial growth. Calcium chloride combined with 0.01% lactic acid was the most effective antimicrobial treatment and resulted in the highest initial redness value. Calcium chloride alone and combined with lactic acid suppressed changes in pH and the Hunter color values during storage. However, injection of calcium chloride and lactic acid had adverse effects on lipid oxidation and sensory characteristics. The higher TBARS values were observed in samples treated with calcium chloride and lactic acid when compared to control over the storage period. Addition of calcium chloride and lactic acid resulted in lower sensory scores for parameters tested, except odor and color, compared to control samples. Therefore, the formulation should be improved in order to overcome such defects prior to industrial application.

Can calcium chloride injection facilitate the ageing-derived improvement in the quality of meat from culled dairy cows?

This study investigated whether the positive effects of ageing on tenderness of meat from culled dairy cows can be facilitated by CaCl₂. Injections of 250 mM CaCl₂ solution (10% wt/wt) were performed on Longissimus dorsi samples from 32 7-yrs old cows. Samples were vacuum packaged and aged for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. Ageing alone produced lighter and less red meat with lower shear force, higher myofibrillar fragmentation and tenderness scores but also elevated lipid oxidation. For most traits investigated, CaCl₂-injected meat exhibited similar ageing effects, but drip loss increased with age. The CaCl₂-injected meat had a lower shear force and myofibrillar fragmentation increased more rapidly, but drip loss, off-flavour scores, colour stability and oxidative stability were inferior to untreated meat. Overall, it was found possible to accelerate tenderisation of such meat with CaCl₂, but only at the cost of adverse effects in some other quality traits.

Effects of hot boning and moisture enhancement on the eating quality of cull cow beef

The effects of chilling method and moisture enhancement were examined for improving eating quality of semimembranosus (SM) and longissimus lumborum (LL) from 62 cull beef cows. Chilling method included hot boning muscles after 45 to 60 min postmortem or conventional chilling for 24 h. Moisture enhancement included 1) a non-injected control (CONT) or injection processing (10% of product weight) using 2) Sodium Tripolyphosphate/salt (Na/STP), 3) Sodium Citrate (NaCIT), 4) Calcium Ascorbate (CaASC), or 5) Citrus Juices (CITRUS). Chilling method by moisture enhancement treatment interactions (P<0.09) were due to decreased hue, chroma and sarcomere length values in hot boned vs. conventionally chilled product (SM and LL) for CaASC vs. other moisture enhancement treatments. Chilling method by moisture enhancement treatment interactions (P<0.05) were due to decreased shear force and increased tenderness in conventionally chilled vs. hot boned LL using CaASC vs. Na/STP. Moisture enhancement can improve tenderness of cull cow beef depending on combinations of chilling method and moisture enhancement treatments used.

Reduction of sodium and increment of calcium and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in dry fermented sausages: effects on the mineral content, lipid profile and sensory quality

BACKGROUND

A combined technological approach was applied in the development of healthier dry fermented sausages: a partial substitution of the pork back fat by pre-emulsified linseed oil and a partial replacement of sodium chloride with calcium ascorbate at two different levels, leading to low amounts of salt (14gSalt and 10gSalt, with 14 g and 10 g NaCl per kg of mixture, respectively).

RESULTS

The developed products (14gSalt and 10gSalt) showed adequate results for a(w) (0.85 and 0.87) and pH (4.98 and 5.21), and low lipid oxidation values (1.4 × 10(-4) and 1.5 × 10(-5) g malondialdehyde (MDA) kg(-1)). The lipid modification led to a significantly higher supply of ω-3 (23.3 g kg(-1) ) compared to the control (3.2 g kg(-1) ). Simultaneously, reductions of 38% and 50% in sodium content and a calcium supply of 4 and 5.2 g kg(-1) were achieved in the 14gSalt and 10gSalt formulations, respectively, compared to the control products (26 g salt and 0.87 g kg(-1) Ca). Instrumental analysis of colour and texture and sensory studies demonstrated that the organoleptic quality of the new formulations was similar to that of traditional products.

CONCLUSIONS

The developed dry fermented sausages showed healthier properties than traditional ones owing to their reduced sodium and higher calcium content and a significant supply of ω-3 fatty acids.

Effects of pyruvate, succinate, and lactate enhancement on beef longissimus raw color

Beef strip loins (n=30) were divided into halves, and each half was assigned randomly to one of four injection enhancements: (1) non-enhanced control, (2) 3% pyruvate, (3) 3% succinate, and (4) 3% lactate. Steaks were cut and packaged in either vacuum, high oxygen (80% O(2)/20% CO(2)), or PVC. Color and lipid oxidation were measured on days 0, 5, and 13 of storage at 1°C. Enhancement had a significant effect on steak pH. On day 13 of storage, steaks enhanced with lactate, pyruvate, and succinate were less discolored (P<0.05) than control steaks in PVC and high oxygen. Enhancement darkened steaks (P<0.05) compared with control steaks. Succinate had the greatest and pyruvate had the least metmyoglobin-reducing activity (P<0.05). Lactate and pyruvate decreased the TBARS values of steaks packaged in PVC (P<0.05) whereas pyruvate was most effective for lowering lipid oxidation in high-oxygen packaging.

Effects of lactate-enhancement on surface reflectance and absorbance properties of beef longissimus steaks

A completely randomized block design was used to assess the effects of lactate-enhancement on surface reflectance and absorbance properties of beef longissimus steaks. Loins were divided into sections, assigned to one of four treatments (non-enhanced day 0, non-enhanced day 5, water-enhanced, and 3% lactate), vacuum packaged, stored for 5 days at 4 degrees C, and then cut into steaks that were used to prepare 100% of deoxy-, oxy-, met-, and carboxymyoglobin according to AMSA (1991). Surface color was analyzed using a HunterLab Miniscan Plus Spectrocolorimeter. Lactate-enhanced steaks had the least overall surface reflectance and the darkest surface color (lower L*; P<0.05). For 100% of each myoglobin form, K/S values and ratios (isobestic wavelengths/525 nm) at 474, 525, 572, and 610 also were influenced by lactate-enhancement. Hence, when estimating surface myoglobin forms using K/S ratios, separate 100% myoglobin reference standards should be prepared from both non-enhanced and enhanced steaks.