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Quality and Safety of Meat Products

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2018) | Viewed by 80502

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Begoña Panea

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Guest Editor

1. Animal Production and Health Department, Agrifood Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), Agrifood Institute of Aragon-IA2 (CITA-Zaragoza University), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain;
2. Agrifood Institute of Aragon-IA2 (CITA-Zaragoza University), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: meat science; shelf-life; color; texture; sensory analysis; consumer test
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Guillermo Ripoll

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Guest Editor

Animal Science Department, Center for Research and Food Technology of Aragon (CITA), Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: animal science; animal production; meat quality; meat products; acceptability of meat and meat products; the shelf-life of meat and meat products; ruminant production systems; ultrasound; immunocastration; animal science; cattle; consumers; near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); carcass quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Rome Declaration on World Food Security includes the right of everyone to have access to safe and nutritious food, and the World Summit on Food recognized the link between food safety and quality. In 2020, the world's population will surpass 7.5 billions of people and the main increases will be in developing countries. It is well known that development stimulates an increase in the demand for high-quality protein, and, among candidates food, is, undoubtelly, meat and meat products. Thus, this increase in population poses great food challenges in general, and to the meat industry in particular. To meet the needs of these populations, we will have to reorganize production systems and the distribution of food and some of the changes will bring potential problems to food safety and nutritional quality. Food-borne diseases are a major problem around the world, both in regards to human suffering and with respect to economic costs. Scientific advances have allowed to better know the nutritional characteristics of foods and their effects on health. This means that a large proportion of consumers are much more conscious with respect to what they eat, and their demands for quality food. Food quality is a complex term that includes, in addition to safety, other intrinsic characteristics, such as appearance, color, texture and flavor and also extrinsic characteristics, such as labelling or certification. Scientists have much to contribute to this new scenario. Our role will be critical to ensure future population health, nutrition and sensory-acceptable foods.

Dr. Begoña Panea
Dr. Guillermo Ripoll
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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

food challenge
safety
nutritional quality
sensory quality
meat

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 188 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Quality and Safety of Meat Products

by Begoña Panea and Guillermo Ripoll

Foods 2020, 9(6), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9060803 - 18 Jun 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3042

Abstract

Food safety is a major problem around the world, both regarding human suffering and with respect to economic costs. Scientific advances have increased our knowledge surrounding the nutritional characteristics of foods and their effects on health. This means that a large proportion of consumers are much more conscious with respect to what they eat and their demands for quality food. Food quality is a complex term that includes, in addition to safety, other intrinsic characteristics, such as appearance, color, texture and flavor, and also extrinsic characteristics, such as perception or involvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

Research

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10 pages, 236 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Acceptability of Dry Cured Meat from Cull Ewes Reared with Different Linseed Supplementation Levels and Feeding Durations

by Ana Guerrero, Carlos Sañudo, María Del Mar Campo, Jose Luis Olleta, Erica Muela, Rosa M. G. Macedo and Francisco A. F. Macedo

Foods 2018, 7(6), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7060089 - 11 Jun 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4325

Abstract

Dry cured meat—‘cecina’—is a traditional, although not well-known, dry product that could add value to cull ewes. Because of this, the aim of the study was to assess consumer acceptability of ‘cecina’ from cull ewes finished with different levels of linseed (5, 10 or 15%) for different periods before slaughtering (30, 50 or 70 days). One hundred and fifty consumers evaluated colour acceptability, fatness and odour, flavour and overall acceptability of ‘cecina’ from those 9 treatments. Additionally, habits of consumption of cured products and preferences for different species and willingness to pay for ‘cecina’ were investigated. Linseed supplementation was identified as the most important factor for sensorial attributes (p < 0.01), with the preferred ‘cecina’ being that with 5% and 10% supplementation. Feeding duration only modified the fatness acceptability (p < 0.01). ‘Cecina’ from small ruminants is a product consumed occasionally by the majority of participants; however, it presented an adequate overall acceptability. Consequently, elaborating ‘cecina’ would be a feasible strategy to improve the income of farmers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

14 pages, 475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Perception of the Quality of Lamb and Lamb Confit

by Guillermo Ripoll, Margalida Joy and Begoña Panea

Foods 2018, 7(5), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7050080 - 22 May 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5393

Abstract

The patterns of food consumption in general and those of meat, in particular, are constantly changing. These changes are due not only to socioeconomic and cultural trends that affect the whole society but also to the specific lifestyles of consumer groups. Due to the importance of consumer lifestyle, the objectives of this study were (i) to identify the profiles of lamb meat consumers according to their orientation toward convenience, as defined by their eating and cooking habits; (ii) to characterize these profiles according to their socioeconomic characteristics and their preferences regarding the intrinsic and extrinsic quality signals of lamb meat; and (iii) to analyze the willingness to pay for lamb confit. In this study, four types of consumers have been differentiated according to their lifestyles related to lamb consumption. These groups, due to their characteristics, could be called “Gourmet”, “Disinterested”, “Conservative”, and “Basic”. The Gourmet group has characteristics that make it especially interesting to market a product such as lamb confit. However, this group is unaware of this product. Therefore, a possible strategy to expand the commercialization of light lamb and the confit product would be guided marketing to this niche market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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12 pages, 1375 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving Cull Cow Meat Quality Using Vacuum Impregnation

by Martha Y. Leal-Ramos, Alma D. Alarcón-Rojo, Néstor Gutiérrez-Méndez, Hugo Mújica-Paz, Felipe Rodríguez-Almeida and Armando Quintero-Ramos

Foods 2018, 7(5), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7050074 - 07 May 2018

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5927

Abstract

Boneless strip loins from mature cows (50 to 70 months of age) were vacuum impregnated (VI) with an isotonic solution (IS) of sodium chloride. This study sought to determine the vacuum impregnation and microstructural properties of meat from cull cows. The experiments were [...] Read more.

p_{1}

(20.3, 71.1 kPa), and time,

t_{1}

(0.5, 2.0, 4.0 h), of impregnation. After the VI step, the meat was kept for a time,

t_{2}

(0.0, 0.5, 2.0, 4.0 h), in the IS under atmospheric pressure. The microstructural changes, impregnation, deformation, and porosity of the meat were measured in all the treatments. Impregnation and deformation levels in terms of volume fractions of the initial sample at the end of the vacuum step and the VI processes were calculated according to the mathematical model for deformation-relaxation and hydrodynamic mechanisms. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the microstructure of the vacuum-impregnated meat samples. Results showed that both the vacuum and atmospheric pressures generated a positive impregnation and deformation. The highest values of impregnation

X

(10.5%) and deformation

γ

(9.3%) were obtained at

p_{1}

of 71.1 kPa and

t_{1}

of 4.0 h. The sample effective porosity (

ε_{e}

) exhibited a significant interaction (p < 0.01) between

p_{1} \times t_{1}

. The highest

ε_{e}

(14.0%) was achieved at

p_{1}

of 20.3 kPa and

t_{1}

of 4.0 h, whereas the most extended distension of meat fibers (98 μm) was observed at the highest levels of p₁, t₁, and t₂. These results indicate that meat from mature cows can undergo a vacuum-wetting process successfully, with an IS of sodium chloride to improve its quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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16 pages, 1466 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Pathogens in Poultry Meat: A Meta-Analysis of European Published Surveys

by Andiara Gonçalves-Tenório, Beatriz Nunes Silva, Vânia Rodrigues, Vasco Cadavez and Ursula Gonzales-Barron

Foods 2018, 7(5), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7050069 - 03 May 2018

Cited by 88 | Viewed by 11172

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate and summarize the levels of incidence of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Campylobacter spp. in poultry meat commercialized in Europe. After systematic review, incidence data and study characteristics were extracted from 78 studies conducted in 21 European countries. Pooled prevalence values from 203 extracted observations were estimated from random-effects meta-analysis models adjusted by pathogen, poultry type, sampling stage, cold preservation type, meat cutting type and packaging status. The results suggest that S. aureus is the main pathogen detected in poultry meat (38.5%; 95% CI: 25.4–53.4), followed by Campylobacter spp. (33.3%; 95% CI: 22.3–46.4%), while L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. present lower prevalence (19.3%; 95% CI: 14.4–25.3% and 7.10%; 95% CI: 4.60–10.8%, respectively). Despite the differences in prevalence, all pathogens were found in chicken and other poultry meats, at both end-processing step and retail level, in packed and unpacked products and in several meat cutting types. Prevalence data on cold preservation products also revealed that chilling and freezing can reduce the proliferation of pathogens but might not be able to inactivate them. The results of this meta-analysis highlight that further risk management strategies are needed to reduce pathogen incidence in poultry meat throughout the entire food chain across Europe, in particular for S. aureus and Campylobacter spp. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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11 pages, 234 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Par Frying on Composition and Texture of Breaded and Battered Catfish

by Peter J. Bechtel, John M. Bland, Kristin Woods, Jeanne M. Lea, Suzanne S. Brashear, Stephen M. Boue, Kim W. Daigle and Karen L. Bett-Garber

Foods 2018, 7(4), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7040046 - 23 Mar 2018

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6544

Abstract

Catfish is often consumed as a breaded and battered fried product; however, there is increasing interest in breaded and battered baked products as a healthier alternative. Par frying can improve the texture properties of breaded and battered baked products, but there are concerns about the increase in lipid uptake from par frying. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different batters (rice, corn, and wheat) and the effect of par frying on the composition and texture properties of baked catfish. Catfish fillets were cut strips and then coated with batters, which had similar viscosities. Half of the strips were par fried in 177 °C vegetable oil for 1 min and the other half were not par fried. Samples were baked at 177 °C for 25 min. Analysis included % batter adhesion, cooking loss, protein, lipid, ash, and moisture, plus hardness and fracture quality measured using a texture analyzer. A trained sensory panel evaluated both breading and flesh texture attributes. Results found the lipid content of par fried treatments were significantly higher for both corn and wheat batters than for non-par fried treatments. Sensory analysis indicated that the texture of the coatings in the par fried treatments were significantly greater for hardness attributes. Fillet flakiness was significantly greater in the par fried treatments and corn-based batters had moister fillet strips compared to the wheat flour batters. Texture analyzer hardness values were higher for the par fried treatments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

11 pages, 440 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Volatile Profile of Raw Lamb Meat Stored at 4 ± 1 °C: The Potential of Specific Aldehyde Ratios as Indicators of Lamb Meat Quality

by Ioannis Konstantinos Karabagias

Foods 2018, 7(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7030040 - 16 Mar 2018

Cited by 62 | Viewed by 6196

Abstract

The objectives of the present study were: (a) to evaluate the aroma evolution of raw lamb packaged in multi-layer coating film and stored at 4 ± 1 °C, with respect to storage time and (b) to investigate whether specific aldehyde ratios could serve as markers of lamb meat freshness and degree of oxidation. Volatile compounds were determined using headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results showed that the most dominant volatiles were 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl-heptane, hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 1-hexanol, carbon disulfide and p-cymene. Volatile compound content was increased during storage time. However, statistically significant differences were recorded only for hexanal, heptanal, and nonanal (p < 0.05). Additionally, the evolution of aldehydes during storage recorded a positive Pearson’s correlation (r) (p < 0.05), whereas hexanal to nonanal, heptanal to nonanal, octanal to nonanal ratios, along with the sum of aldehydes to nonanal ratio, were positively correlated (r = 0.83–1.00) with the degree of oxidation (mg malonic dialdehyde per kg of lamb meat). A perfect Pearson’s correlation (r = 1) was obtained for the ratio hexanal to nonanal. Therefore, this ratio is proposed as an indicator of lamb meat freshness and overall quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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15 pages, 1088 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Meat Quality Derived from High Inclusion of a Micro-Alga or Insect Meal as an Alternative Protein Source in Poultry Diets: A Pilot Study

by Brianne A. Altmann, Carmen Neumann, Susanne Velten, Frank Liebert and Daniel Mörlein

Foods 2018, 7(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7030034 - 08 Mar 2018

Cited by 73 | Viewed by 10905

Abstract

The effects on meat quality resulting from alternative dietary protein sources (Spirulina and Hermetia meal) in poultry diets are studied to determine the overall suitability of these ingredients considering state-of-the-art packaging practices—highly oxygenated modified atmosphere packaging (HiOx MAP). We monitored standard slaughterhouse parameters, such as live weight, carcass weight, dressed yield, and pH at 20 min and 24 h post mortem. In addition, we studied the effects that 3 and 7-day storage in HiOx MAP has on the overall product physico-chemical and sensory properties. In addition to previously supported effects of HiOx MAP, we found that meat quality could be improved when Spirulina replaces 50% of the soy protein in broiler diets; however, this substitution results in a dark reddish-yellowish meat colour. On the other hand, the substitution with Hermetia larval meal results in a product that does not differ from the standard fed control group, with the exception that the breast filet has a more intense flavour that decreases over storage time. All-in-all Spirulina and Hermetia meal have the potential to replace soybean meal in broiler diets without deteriorating meat quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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1053 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparison Study of Quality Attributes of Ground Beef and Veal Patties and Thermal Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 after Double Pan-Broiling Under Dynamic Conditions

by KaWang Li, Amanda Gipe McKeith, Cangliang Shen and Russell McKeith

Foods 2018, 7(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7010001 - 26 Dec 2017

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5831

Abstract

This study compared the quality variation and thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in non-intact beef and veal. Coarse ground beef and veal patties (2.1 cm thick, 12.4 cm diameter, 180 g) inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, aerobically stored before double pan-broiling for 0–360 s without rest or to 55, 62.5, 71.1, and 76 °C (internal temperature) with 0.5- or 3.5-min rest. Microbial population and qualities including color, cooking losses, pH, water activity, fat, and moisture content, were tested. After cooking the beef and veal patties, the weight losses were 17.83–29%, the pH increased from 5.53–5.60 to 5.74–6.09, the moisture content decreased from 70.53–76.02% to 62.60–67.07%, and the fat content increased (p < 0.05) from 2.19–6.46% to 2.92–9.45%. Cooking beef and veal samples with increasing internal temperatures decreased a* and b* values and increased the L* value. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was more sensitive to heat in veal compared to beef with shorter D-value and “shoulder” time. Cooking to 71.1 and 76 °C reduced E. coli O157:H7 by >6 log CFU/g regardless of rest time. Cooking to 55 °C and 62.5 °C with a 3.5-min rest achieved an additional 1–3 log CFU/g reduction compared to the 0.5-min rest. Results should be useful for developing risk assessment of non-intact beef and veal products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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Review

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34 pages, 1440 KiB

Open AccessReview

Carbon Monoxide in Meat and Fish Packaging: Advantages and Limits

by Djamel Djenane and Pedro Roncalés

Foods 2018, 7(2), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7020012 - 23 Jan 2018

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 19923

Abstract

Due to increased demands for greater expectation in relation to quality, convenience, safety and extended shelf-life, combined with growing demand from retailers for cost-effective extensions of fresh muscle foods’ shelf-life, the food packaging industry quickly developed to meet these expectations. During the last few decades, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of foods has been a promising area of research, but much remains to be known regarding the use of unconventional gases such carbon monoxide (CO). The use of CO for meat and seafood packaging is not allowed in most countries due to the potential toxic effect, and its use is controversial in some countries. The commercial application of CO in food packaging was not then considered feasible because of possible environmental hazards for workers. CO has previously been reported to mask muscle foods’ spoilage, and this was the primary concern raised for the prohibition, as this may mislead consumers. This review was undertaken to present the most comprehensive and current overview of the widely-available, scattered information about the use of CO in the preservation of muscle foods. The advantages of CO and its industrial limits are presented and discussed. The most recent literature on the consumer safety issues related to the use of CO and consumer acceptance of CO especially in meat packaging systems were also discussed. Recommendations and future prospects were addressed for food industries, consumers and regulators on what would be a “best practice” in the use of CO in food packaging. All this promotes high ethical standards in commercial communications by means of effective regulation, for the benefit of consumers and businesses in the world, and this implies that industrialized countries and members of their regulatory agencies must develop a coherent and robust systems of regulation and control that can respond effectively to new challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Meat Products)

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