Novel Approaches to Improving Quality and Safety in Meat and Meat Products

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Meat".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 April 2024) | Viewed by 5955

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
CIMO-Mountain Research Center, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural College of Bragança, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Bragança, Portugal
Interests: physics and chemistry of meat and meat products; sensory analysis of food

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Meat and processed meat products have been labelled by the scientific community as a source of disease, particularly cancer. Meat, however, provides important nutrients, and, importantly, possesses pleasant and desirable organoleptic characteristics for many consumers. Satisfying consumers' ever-increasing demands is a priority. Guaranteeing quality, product homogeneity, healthiness and sensory satisfaction is indispensable for a product to be placed on the market and accepted by consumers. This Special Issue will focus on the search for advances in new methodologies for the production of meat and meat products that guarantee quality and food safety, such as more extensive and sustainable production systems, the use of natural products as additives in processed products and reductions in additives recognised as harmful to human health, among others.

This Special Issue hopes to present novel advances and emergent methodologies to improve and guarantee the quality and safety of meat and meat product. Original research articles, reviews and short communications will all be accepted.

Dr. Sandra Rodrigues
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • new products
  • new processing methods
  • natural products
  • sensory evaluation
  • consumer studies
  • physico-chemical characteristics
  • volatile compounds
  • lipidic health indices

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1838 KiB  
Article
Exploring Consumer Preference towards the On-Farm Slaughtering of Beef in Germany: A Discrete Choice Experiment
by Josephine Lauterbach, Antonia Johanna Bruns and Anna Maria Häring
Foods 2023, 12(18), 3473; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12183473 - 18 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 882
Abstract
Current production standards and communication campaigns about animal welfare in relation to beef strongly emphasise the “humane” rearing of cattle. Aspects such as transport and slaughtering conditions are often overlooked in both production standards and communications with consumers. Long transport routes and conventional [...] Read more.
Current production standards and communication campaigns about animal welfare in relation to beef strongly emphasise the “humane” rearing of cattle. Aspects such as transport and slaughtering conditions are often overlooked in both production standards and communications with consumers. Long transport routes and conventional slaughtering can cause significant stress to animals and have negative impacts on their welfare and on meat quality. On-farm slaughter can address these criticisms. Communicating the value of low-stress slaughtering conditions like on-farm slaughtering may offer significant sales potential for a premium market segment. In this study, we explore consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for beef that is slaughtered on-farm rather than in conventional abattoirs. We conducted an online survey (n = 400) in 2022, with a sample that is representative of the German population with respect to gender, age, income and education. Our survey included a discrete choice experiment for the purchase of minced beef, incorporating product attributes that influence purchase decisions. These included: price, information on the social, economic and environmental benefits of regional production, different production standards (conventional/organic) and information on on-farm slaughtering. Our findings indicate that consumers derive the highest utility from a low price, followed by information about on-farm slaughtering. Participants indicated a preference for information on high animal welfare over high beef quality. We conclude that highlighting on-farm slaughtering could be a significant benefit in marketing premium beef products. Full article
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24 pages, 3952 KiB  
Article
Effect of Marinating in Dairy-Fermented Products and Sous-Vide Cooking on the Protein Profile and Sensory Quality of Pork Longissimus Muscle
by Agnieszka Latoch, Małgorzata Moczkowska-Wyrwisz, Piotr Sałek and Ewa Czarniecka-Skubina
Foods 2023, 12(17), 3257; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12173257 - 30 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1440
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of marinating (3 or 6 days) in kefir (KE), yogurt (YO) and buttermilk (BM) and sous-vide cooking (SV) at 60 or 80 °C on changes in the protein profile of pork in relation [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of marinating (3 or 6 days) in kefir (KE), yogurt (YO) and buttermilk (BM) and sous-vide cooking (SV) at 60 or 80 °C on changes in the protein profile of pork in relation to its sensory quality. In the marinated raw meat, an increased share of some fractions of myofibrillar and cytoskeletal proteins and calpains were found. The greatest degradation of proteins, regardless of time, was caused by marinating in YO and KE and cooking SV at 80 °C. The lowest processing losses were in samples marinated in KE and YO and cooked SV at 60 °C, with marinating time having no significant effect. The odor, flavor, tenderness and juiciness of meat marinated in BM was better than in KE and YO. Meat marinated and cooked SV at 60 °C was rated better by the panelists. Changes in proteins significantly affect the formation of meat texture, tenderness and juiciness, which confirms the correlations. This is also reflected in the sensory evaluation. During the process of marinating and cooking meat, protein degradation should be taken into account, which can be a good tool for shaping the sensory quality of cooked pork. Full article
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Review

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18 pages, 331 KiB  
Review
Novel Approaches to Improve Meat Products’ Healthy Characteristics: A Review on Lipids, Salts, and Nitrites
by Sandra S. Q. Rodrigues, Lia Vasconcelos, Ana Leite, Iasmin Ferreira, Etelvina Pereira and Alfredo Teixeira
Foods 2023, 12(15), 2962; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152962 - 05 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3001
Abstract
Meat products are a staple of many diets around the world, but they have been subject to criticism due to their potential negative impact on human health. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing novel approaches to improve the [...] Read more.
Meat products are a staple of many diets around the world, but they have been subject to criticism due to their potential negative impact on human health. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing novel approaches to improve the healthy characteristics of meat products, with a particular focus on reducing the levels of harmful salts, lipids, and nitrites. This review aims to provide an overview of the latest research on the various methods being developed to address these issues, including the use of alternative salts, lipid-reducing techniques, and natural nitrite alternatives. By exploring these innovative approaches, we can gain a better understanding of the potential for improving the nutritional value of meat products, while also meeting the demands of consumers who are increasingly concerned about their health and well-being. Full article
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