Causes and Contributing Factors to ‘Dark Cutting’ Meat
Dark cutting in beef and sheep meat has been the subject of extensive research with numerous connections established between it and various production practices. Despite these associations, dark cutting still occurs and causes significant financial losses globally in the fresh meat market. Consumers tend to reject dark meat as it is perceived to be from old or poorly-handled animals and is described as being tough, having an undesirable flavor, and having a short shelf-life. There is no universal system to categorize dark cutting carcasses and meat across countries, although various methods are used to determine the occurrence. Classifying carcasses as dark cutters on the basis of ultimate pH or color using one muscle, such as the m. longissimus thoracis can lead to mis-description of other muscles within the same carcass and loss of income across the supply chain. This review identifies the factors predisposing animals to dark cutting and provides recommendations and directions for future research. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, Volume 16, Issue 3, May 2017, Pages 400–430. Read the full journal article here.
Protein Characteristics that Affect the Quality of Vital Wheat Gluten to be Used in Baking
The use of vital wheat gluten in the baking industry and wheat flour mills aims to improve the rheological characteristics of flour considered unsuitable to obtain products such as sliced bread, French bread, high-fiber breads, and other products that require strong flours. To improve characteristics such as flour strength, dough mixing tolerance, and bread volume, vital wheat gluten is added to flour. However, the vital wheat gluten commercialized in the market has few quality specifications, especially related to the characteristics of the proteins that comprise it and are responsible for the formation of the viscoelastic gluten network. Information on protein quality is important because variations are observed in the technological quality of vital wheat gluten obtained from different sources, which could be associated to damage caused to proteins during the obtainment process. This review covers the concepts, uses, obtainment processes, and quality analysis of vital wheat gluten, as well as simple tests to help identify details about protein quality of commercial vital wheat gluten. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, Volume 16, Issue 3, May 2017, Pages 369–381. Read the full journal article here.
Removal of Cadmium from Contaminated Lentinula Edodes by Optimized Complexation and Coagulation
The aim of this study was to explore processes for removing toxic heavy metal (cadmium) from polluted Lentinula edodes, commonly known as shiitake mushrooms. Complexing agents (EDTA and sodium citrate) were used to leach heavy metal from contaminated L. edodes. Lentinan was then extracted, and complexing and coagulating agents (active carbon, polyaluminium chloride, and chitosan) were applied to remove the heavy metal. Some factors that can affect the binding capacity, such as pH, the dosage of agents used, and the initial valence state of cadmium (by addition of oxidant), were investigated. This work filled the gaps in the study of dealing with heavy metal-polluted mushroom, with regard to potential use in treating of heavy metal-polluted food. Food Science & Nutrition, Volume 5, Issue 2, March 2017, Pages 215–222. Read the full journal article here.
Detection of Salmonella Serotypes by Overnight Incubation of Entire Broiler Carcass
There are multiple ways to sample broiler chicken carcasses for the prevalence of Salmonella. The objective of this study was to confirm efficacy of whole carcass enrichment compared with carcass rinse aliquot method for detecting naturally occurring Salmonella on processed broiler carcasses collected directly after all processing interventions applied in a commercial slaughter plant. All isolates were also subjected to serotype characterization to test for any effect that detection method may have on the Salmonella serotype recovered. Journal of Food Safety, Volume 37, Issue 2, May 2017, e12298. Read the full journal article here.
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