Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing on the Chemical Characteristics of Different Lamb Cuts

Carcass traits, proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, and mineral contents of meat from Cherry Valley, Chinese crested, and crossbred ducks

Duck meat is known for its taste and high nutritive value. To preserve local genetic diversity while maintaining commercial viability, we obtained a crossbreed (CB) between high-performing Cherry Valley (CV) and traditional Chinese crested (CC) ducks. We compared carcass traits and meat quality characteristics of CB and parental breeds. Meat from the above ducks at their respective marketable ages was evaluated for proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, and selected mineral content. The live weights, carcass weights, and breast muscle percentage of CB were higher than CC but lower than CV; the leg muscle of CB was lower than CV and CC. CB had higher intramuscular fat content than CV; its collagen content was lower than CC but higher than CV in breast and thigh muscles. Additionally, the saturated fatty acid content of CB muscle was lower than CV and higher than CC. CB contained more monounsaturated fatty acids than CV and CC. Zn content was higher in CB breast than CV and CC. CB, obtained by crossing CV and CC, has partial advantages over both the breeds suggesting that these characteristics aligned with standards to breed ducks with high-quality meat.

Using OPLS-DA to Fingerprint Key Free Amino and Fatty Acids in Understanding the Influence of High Pressure Processing in New Zealand Clams

This study investigated the effect of high pressure processing (HPP) on the fatty acids and amino acids content in New Zealand Diamond Shell (Spisula aequilatera), Storm Shell (Mactra murchisoni), and Tua Tua (Paphies donacina) clams. The clam samples were subjected to HPP with varying levels of pressure (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 MPa) and holding times (5 and 600 s) at 20 °C. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) were deployed to fingerprint the discriminating amino and fatty acids post-HPP processing while considering their inherent biological variation. Aspartic acid (ASP), isoleucine (ILE), leucine (LEU), lysine (LYS), methionine (MET), serine (SER), threonine (THR), and valine (VAL) were identified as discriminating amino acids, while C18:0, C22:1n9, C24:0, and C25:5n3 were identified as discriminating fatty acids. These amino and fatty acids were then subjected to mixed model ANOVA. Mixed model ANOVA was employed to investigate the influence of HPP pressure and holding times on amino acids and fatty acids in New Zealand clams. A significant effect of pressure levels was reported for all three clam species for both amino and fatty acids composition. Additionally, holding time was a significant factor that mainly influenced amino acid content. butnot fatty acids, suggesting that hydrostatic pressure hardly causes hydrolysis of triglycerides. This study demonstrates the applicability of OPLS-DA in identifying the key discriminating chemical components prior to traditional ANOVA analysis. Results from this research indicate that lower pressure and shorter holding time (100 MPa and 5 s) resulted in the least changes in amino and fatty acids content of clams.

Thermal, High Pressure, and Ultrasound Inactivation of Various Fruit Cultivars’ Polyphenol Oxidase: Kinetic Inactivation Models and Estimation of Treatment Energy Requirement

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyses the browning reaction during fruit processing and storage. It is considered a threat to clean labels and minimally processed fruit products. Unwanted changes in fruits’ appearance and quality represent a cost to the industry. High pressure and ultrasound, in addition to thermal treatment, are effective in reducing PPO activity and producing high-quality products. PPO from different fruit cultivars behaves differently when submitted to different treatments. A systematic review was conducted, where treatment parameters, PPO inactivation data (≥80% inactivation), and kinetic inactivation parameters (rate constant (k), activation energy (Ea), D-value, and z-value) by different treatments were collected. Additionally, the estimated energy requirements for the inactivation of PPO (≥80%) by different treatments were calculated and compared. Resistance to various treatments varies between fruit cultivars. For the same temperature, the inactivation of PPO by ultrasound combined with heat is more effective than thermal treatment alone, and the high pressure combined thermal process. The majority of the thermal, HPP, and ultrasound inactivation of PPO in fruits followed first-order behaviour. Some fruit cultivars, however, showed biphasic inactivation behaviour. The estimated specific energy requirements calculated based on the mass of processed fruit sample to inactivate ≥80% polyphenol oxidase for the thermal process was 87 to 255 kJ/kg, while for high pressure processing it was 139 to 269 kJ/kg and for ultrasound it was 780 to 10,814 kJ/kg.

Effect of High-Pressure Processing on Fresh Sea Urchin Gonads in Terms of Shelf Life, Chemical Composition, and Microbiological Properties

Paracentrotus lividus is a widespread sea urchin species appreciated worldwide for the taste of its fresh gonads. High-pressure processing (HPP) can provide a thermal equivalent to pasteurization, maintaining the organoleptic properties of the raw gonads. This study evaluated HPP technology’s effect at 350 MPa and 500 MPa on microbial inactivation and biochemical characteristics of P. lividus gonads. HPP at 350 MPa resulted in a higher decrease in protein and free amino acids associated with a loss of olfactory, color, and gustatory traits and a visual alteration of the texture. On the other hand, gonad samples stored for 40 days after treatments at 500 MPa showed a good organoleptic profile similar to fresh gonads. Furthermore, only 500 MPa effectively reduced mesophilic bacteria contamination among the two HPP treatments carried out. Total lipids increased during storage; however, the SAFA/PUFA rate was homogeneous during HPP trials ranging from 2.61–3.91 g/100 g. Total protein decreased more than 40% after HPP at 350 MPa, whereas, after 500 MPa, it remained stable for 20 days. The amount of free amino acid constantly decreased during storage after HPP at 350 MPa and remained constant at 500 MPa. HPP can effectively remove the bacterial flora and inactivate enzymes, maintaining the properties of the fresh sea urchin gonads.

Studies on the mechanism of Panax Ginseng in the treatment of deficiency of vital energy dementia rats based on urine metabolomics

Panax Ginseng (PG) has been used to strengthen memory and physique for thousands of years, because its main components ginsenosides (GS) and ginseng polysaccharides (GP) play a major role, but its mechanism is not clear. In this study, a rat model of dementia with vital energy deficiency (DED) was established through intraperitoneal injection with D-galactose and AlCl₃ and combined with exhaustive swimming. Pharmacological studies and the urine metabolomics based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) were employed for evaluation the efficacy of PG and exploring this treatment mechanism. Through urine metabolic profiling, it can be seen that DED rats after PG administration are close to normal group (NG) rats, and PG can regulate the in vivo status of DED rats which tend to NG. The results of behavioral, biochemical indicators and immunohistochemistry further verified the above results, and the mechanism of action of each component is refined. Ultimately, we believe that the mechanism of PG in the treatment of DED is that ginsenosides (GS) intervenes in phenylalanine tryptophan and tyrosine metabolism, stimulates dopamine production, inhibits Aβ deposition and neuroinflammation; and that ginseng polysaccharides (GP) provides energy to strengthen the TCA cycle and improve immune capacity.

A systematic review of clean-label alternatives to synthetic additives in raw and processed meat with a special emphasis on high-pressure processing (2018-2021)

The meat industry is continuously facing challenges with food safety, and quality losses caused by thermal processing. This systematic review reports recent clean label approaches in high-pressure production of meat. A literature search was performed using Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Springer databases for studies published in 2018-2021. In this regard, 69 articles were assessed out of 386 explored research articles in the identified stage. The findings indicate that most of the earlier work on high-pressure processing (HPP) focused on physicochemical and sensorial meat quality rather than providing nutritional aspects and clean-label solutions. However, few advanced studies report effective and innovative solutions to develop low salt/fat, and reduced nitrite for raw and cured meat products. HPP could help on increasing the shell life by five times in meat products; however, it depends on the formulation and packaging, etc. HPP can also preserve nutrients by using this non-thermal technology and reduce food waste as once the shelf life of products is known, it easily reduces the shrinkage in the marketplace. This review explores the latest trend of experimental research in high-pressure processing alone, or multi-hurdle techniques employed to increase the effect of clean-label ingredients for enhanced meat safety/quality.

Combined Effect of High-Pressure Processing with Spice Extracts on Quality of Low-Salt Sausage during Refrigerated Storage

The study evaluated the combined effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) and spice extracts on low-salt sausages during refrigerated storage. Physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the sausages were determined. HPP treatment increased the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value and the carbonyl content of the samples (p < 0.05), which meant lipid and protein oxidation was accelerated. Adding clove and cinnamon extracts can retard the oxidation caused by HPP (p < 0.05). The pH of the sausages treated with both the spice extracts and HPP maintained a higher pH value during the storage (p > 0.05). Compared with the samples treated with HPP or with the spice extracts alone, the combined treatment observably inhibited the growth of spoilage bacteria (p < 0.05) and improved the microbial community. The results demonstrated that the use of clove and cinnamon extracts in conjunction with HPP improved the storage quality and prolonged the shelf-life of the low-salt sausages. Thus, the combined use of spice extracts and HPP can be developed as a promising way to preserve low-salt meat products.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Processing of Chilled and Frozen-Thawed Lamb Meat Cuts: Relationships between Sensory Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Meat

The effect of PEF processing and chilled storage on the volatile composition and sensory properties of chilled and frozen lamb cuts was investigated in this study. Results showed that PEF-treated chilled and frozen lamb cuts varied in temporal flavour attributes with storage. Storage for 7 days resulted in oxidized flavour, while PEF treatments for all chilled and frozen cuts were associated with browned and livery flavour attributes. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was applied to determine the predictive relationships between the volatile composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, and sensory responses for PEF treated lamb cuts. The results showed that some volatile compounds (2-nonanone, 2-pentylfuran, pyrrole, methyl pyrazine, 2-ethyl-3-methyl pyrazine, and thiophene) correlated well with the meaty and juicy flavour of PEF treated frozen lamb cuts. In PEF treated chilled lamb cuts, meaty and juicy flavours were associated with the presence of fatty acids (C18:0, SFA, 20:5(n-3), and n-3). In contrast, livery and browned perception of both PEF processed chilled and frozen lamb cuts were associated with the presence of amino acids (threonine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, tyrosine, and methionine), and some volatile compounds (heptanal, 2-ethylfuran, pyridine, dimethyl disulphide, dimethyl trisulphide, and 3,5-diethyl-2-methyl pyrazine). Overall, these results imply that careful consideration of type of meat cuts, PEF pre-treatment, and storage are important when subjecting lamb meat to PEF processing.

The use of high hydrostatic pressure in the technology of whole muscle meat products

The work examined the effect of high hydrostatic pressure on the chemical composition and microbiological indicators of poultry meat. Data on the mass fraction of moisture, fat, protein and ash before and after processing the product with high hydrostatic pressure are presented. Pressure treatment modes are justified, at which it is possible to obtain finished products. The formulation of a whole-muscle product from poultry meat has been developed, as well as a technological scheme for preparing a new product using innovative technology.