Critical review of water activities and microbiology of drying of meats

An Acceptability Trial of Desiccated Beef Liver and Meat Powder as Potential Fortifiers of Complementary Diets of Young Children in Indonesia

The addition of desiccated beef liver to infant and young child complementary foods can be used to overcome nutrient deficits, however its acceptability is unknown. We conducted a series of studies to test the acceptability of complementary foods fortified with either powdered beef liver, beef meat, beef liver + meat or placebo among 96 Indonesian children aged 12 to 23 mo. This was achieved by determining liking of a single test food with added study powder, followed by a 2-wk home trial and focus group discussions to assess liking during repeated consumption of the study powders added to daily meals. The test food with added beef powders were well liked by mothers, with liking scores never falling below neutral on a 7-point scale. After home use, mothers reported that their children moderately liked their meals with added powder, with scores ranging between 3.3 and 3.5 on a 5-point scale. With the exception of lower liking for the combination beef liver + meat powder, there were no detectable differences in mothers' overall perception of child's liking between the placebo and any of the study powders. The low disappearance rate of the study powders during the home trial was a concern, with mothers reporting a strong smell and fishy odor as the major reason why children did not like their meals. Nonetheless, mothers declared they would continue using the powder on account of the nutritional value and perceived health benefits. Strategies are underway to minimize the level of fishy odor in the beef liver powder.

Effect of curing time on the physicochemical and sensory properties of beef jerky replaced salt with soy sauce, red pepper paste and soybean paste

This study was done to investigate the quality properties of beef jerky with soy sauce, red pepper paste, and soybean paste replacing salt. Sliced beef samples were cured in salt (control), soy sauce, red pepper paste, and soybean paste for 24 or 48 h and then dried at 70°C for 8 h. Treatments showed higher final moisture content and lower Na(+) concentration than the control after drying for 8 h. The lightness and shear force values were lower in all treatment samples than in the control during 48 h of curing time. In particular, lower lipid oxidation was found in the jerky cured with red pepper paste than in the control. Sensory evaluation showed that color, flavor, and tenderness of jerky samples were improved by replacing salt with soy sauce, red pepper paste and soybean paste, and higher likeability scores of the beef jerky were obtained among those treatments after 48 h of curing time.

Modeling the effect of marination and temperature on Salmonella inactivation during drying of beef jerky

This study modeled the effect of drying temperature in combination with predrying marination treatments to inactivate Salmonella on beef jerky. Beef inside round slices were inoculated with Salmonella and treated with (1) nothing (C), (2) traditional marinade (M), or (3) dipped into a 5% acetic acid solution for 10 min before exposure to M (AM). After 24 h of marination at 4 degrees C, samples were dehydrated at 52, 57, or 63 degrees C. Total counts (tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.1% sodium pyruvate, TSAP) and Salmonella (XLD agar) were enumerated after inoculation and at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h during drying. For calculation of death rates (DR, log CFU/cm(2)/h), shoulder period (h), low asymptote, and upper asymptote, cell counts from TSAP were fitted to the Baranyi model. The DRs were then further expressed as a function of storage temperature. Inactivation occurred without an initial lag phase (shoulder period), while correlation (R(2)) values of fitted curves were >/= 0.861. The DRs of C (-0.29 to -0.62) and M (-0.36 to -0.63) treatments were similar, while DRs of the AM treatment were higher (-1.22 to -1.46). The DRs were then fitted to a polynomial equation as a function of temperature. After validation, good (C and M) or acceptable (AM) model performances were observed (R(2)= 0.954 to 0.987; bias factors: 1.03 [C], 1.01 [M], 0.71 [AM]; accuracy factors: 1.05 [C], 1.06 [M], 1.41 [AM]). The developed models may be useful in selecting drying temperatures and times in combination with predrying treatments for adequate inactivation of Salmonella in beef jerky.

Acceptability and safety of novel infant porridges containing lyophilized meat powder and iron-fortified wheat flour

BACKGROUND

Lyophilized meat powder with iron-fortified wheat flour can be used to produce an infant porridge with bioavailable iron, but its acceptability and safety are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the acceptability and safety of porridges containing lyophilized meat powder and iron-fortified wheat flour.

METHODS

Peruvian mothers' input was used to develop porridges without (no meat) and with meat powder (low or high chicken liver, low or high chicken thigh). Acceptability was determined by maternal hedonic scoring, 9-day infant intake, and videotape analysis of how well infants liked each porridge. Dry and cooked porridges and meat ingredients were tested for microorganisms; meats were tested for pesticides.

RESULTS

Mothers gave higher acceptability scores to the no-meat porridge, followed in order by low and high quantities of meat powder (e.g., mean +/- SD "taste"scores were 4.5 +/- 0.9 for the no-meat, 3.7 +/- 1.1 for the low-liver, and 3.3 +/- 1.1 for the high-liver porridges, p = .0001). Infants' porridge intake did not differ: 61.4 +/- 47.1 g of no-meat, 62.1 +/- 44.9 g of low-thigh, and 67.5 +/- 42.0 g of low-liver (p = .7), as supported by the video analysis. Microbiologic safety was acceptable except for marginally acceptable molds and yeasts in dry ingredients. No pesticide residues were detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite mothers' clear preference for no-meat porridges, infants consumed equal amounts of porridges with and without meat. Thus, if mothers can be convinced to feed the meat-containing porridges to the infants despite their own preferences, the infants will consume these porridges. The mold and yeast content of the porridge ingredients must be reduced.

Inactivation of acid-adapted and nonadapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 during drying and storage of beef jerky treated with different marinades

The inactivation of both acid-adapted and unadapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the processing of beef jerky was studied. Following inoculation with the pathogen, beef slices were subjected to different predrying marinade treatments, dried at 60 degrees C for 10 h, and stored at 25 degrees C for 60 d. The predrying treatments evaluated were as follows: (i) no treatment (C), (ii) traditional marinade (TM), (iii) double-strength TM modified with added 1.2% sodium lactate, 9% acetic acid, and 68% soy sauce with 5% ethanol (MM), (iv) dipping into 5% acetic acid for 10 min followed by application of TM (AATM), and (v) dipping into 1% Tween 20 for 15 min and then into 5% acetic acid for 10 min followed by TM (TWTM). Bacterial survivors were determined during drying and storage using tryptic soy agar with 0.1% pyruvate, modified eosin methylene blue agar, and sorbitol MacConkey agar. Results indicated that bacterial populations decreased during drying in the order of TWTM (4.9 to 6.7 log) > AATM > MM > C > or = TM (2.8 to 4.9 log) predrying treatments. Populations of acid-adapted E. coli O157:H7 decreased faster (P < 0.05) in AATM and TWTM than nonadapted cells during drying, whereas no significant difference was found in inactivation of acid-adapted and nonadapted inocula in C and TM samples. MM was more effective in inactivating the nonadapted than the adapted inoculum. Bacterial populations continued to decline during storage and dropped below the detection limit (-0.4 log10 CFU/cm2) as early as day 0 (after drying) or as late as day 60, depending on acid adaptation, predrying treatment, and agar medium. The results indicated that acid adaptation may not increase resistance to the hurdles involved in jerky processing and that use of additional antimicrobial chemicals or preservatives in jerky marination may improve the effectiveness of drying in inactivating E. coli O157:H7.