Assessment of water relaxometry of meat under different ageing processes using time domain nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry.

This study assessed water relaxometry of beef exposed to different ageing techniques by examining the inner and surface regions using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) relaxometry. Beef strip loins were aged under vacuum (Wet), under vacuum using moisture absorbers (Abs), under vacuum using moisture absorbers and with mechanical tenderisation (AbsTend), or without any packaging (Dry). The ageing technique significantly influenced various meat parameters, including dehydration, total loss, and the moisture content of the meat surface.

Effects of medium voltage electrical stimulation on initial pH decline and quality parameters during ageing and frozen storage of Nellore beef.

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of medium voltage electrical stimulation (ES) at three different intensities, 200 V (Treatment 200 V, T200), 300 V (Treatment 200 V, T300), and 400 V (Treatment 400 V, T400) on the initial pH decline in post mortem muscle and the quality parameters on M. longissimus thoracis - Nellore beef, both throughout the ageing process and during frozen storage. The colour, cooking loss, and shear force parameters for samples of aged beef were determined.

Consumers' Attitudes toward the Use of an Edible Coating for Lamb Meat According to Label Information.

The use of edible coatings in meat is currently being investigated in several studies. However, consumers' attitudes toward this technology are not clear. This study evaluated consumers' intention to purchase vacuum-packaged meat with a chitosan coating based on the label information.

Effects of freezing and thawing on microbiological and physical-chemical properties of dry-aged beef.

This study evaluated the effects of freezing, prior to and after dry aging, on the microbiological and physical-chemical quality of beef. Strip loins (n = 24) from 12 carcasses were assigned to four treatments: non-frozen dry aging (Dry); dry aging, steak fabrication, freezing and slow thawing (Dry + ST); freezing, fast thawing (FT; 20 °C/15 h) and dry aging (FT + Dry); freezing, slow thawing (ST; 4 °C/48 h) and dry aging (ST + Dry). Freezing conditions were - 20 °C/28 days and dry aging conditions were 2 °C/70% relative humidity, for 28 days.

Whole cottonseed, vitamin E and finishing period affect the fatty acid profile and sensory traits of meat products from Nellore cattle.

This study investigated how different finishing periods and the inclusion of whole cottonseed and vitamin E in diets fed to feedlot cattle affect meat lipid composition and sensory traits of fresh beef and hamburgers. Fifty-four Nellore bulls were fed 3 different diets (C: control; WCS: 30% whole cottonseed; WCSE: 30% whole cottonseed plus vitamin E) during finishing periods of 83, 104, and 111days. The inclusion of cottonseed did not affect saturated fatty acid levels (SFA), but increased the levels of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in meat.

Mate extract as feed additive for improvement of beef quality.

Mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil.

Differences in the skeletal muscle transcriptome profile associated with extreme values of fatty acids content.

Background: Lipids are a class of molecules that play an important role in cellular structure and metabolism in all cell types. In the last few decades, it has been reported that long-chain fatty acids (FAs) are involved in several biological functions from transcriptional regulation to physiological processes. Several fatty acids have been both positively and negatively implicated in different biological processes in skeletal muscle and other tissues.

Genomic structure and marker-derived gene networks for growth and meat quality traits of Brazilian Nelore beef cattle.

Background: Nelore is the major beef cattle breed in Brazil with more than 130 million heads. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are often used to associate markers and genomic regions to growth and meat quality traits that can be used to assist selection programs. An alternative methodology to traditional GWAS that involves the construction of gene network interactions, derived from results of several GWAS is the AWM (Association Weight Matrices)/PCIT (Partial Correlation and Information Theory).

Detection of quantitative trait loci for mineral content of Nelore longissimus dorsi muscle.

Background: Beef cattle require dietary minerals for optimal health, production and reproduction. Concentrations of minerals in tissues are at least partly genetically determined. Mapping genomic regions that affect the mineral content of bovine longissimus dorsi muscle can contribute to the identification of genes that control mineral balance, transportation, absorption and excretion and that could be associated to metabolic disorders.

Genome-wide association study for intramuscular fat deposition and composition in Nellore cattle.

Background: Meat from Bos taurus and Bos indicus breeds are an important source of nutrients for humans and intramuscular fat (IMF) influences its flavor, nutritional value and impacts human health. Human consumption of fat that contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) can reduce the concentration of undesirable cholesterol (LDL) in circulating blood. Different feeding practices and genetic variation within and between breeds influences the amount of IMF and fatty acid (FA) composition in meat.

Heat shock and structural proteins associated with meat tenderness in Nellore beef cattle, a Bos indicus breed.

Nellore beef cattle, a Bos indicus (Zebu) breed, is well adapted to tropical conditions and has allowed Brazil to become one of the largest producers of red meat. Nevertheless, B. indicus breeds are reported to have less tender meat than Bos taurus.

Identification of KCNJ11 as a functional candidate gene for bovine meat tenderness.

The potassium inwardly rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 11 (KCNJ11) gene was investigated as a candidate for meat tenderness based on the effects reported on muscle for KCNJ11 gene knockout in rat models and its position in a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for meat tenderness in the bovine genome. Sequence variations in the KCNJ11 gene were described by sequencing six amplified fragments, covering almost the entire gene. We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and validated them by different approaches, taking advantage of simultaneous projects that are being developed with the same Nelore population.

Calcium and potassium content in beef: influences on tenderness and associations with molecular markers in Nellore cattle.

Calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) are essential nutrients in animal nutrition. Furthermore, the Ca content can influence meat tenderness because it is needed by the proteolytic system of calpains and calpastatins, major factors in postmortem tenderization of skeletal muscles. K content, which is needed for muscle contraction, can also affect meat tenderness.

Type of packaging affects the colour stability of vitamin E enriched beef.

Colour stability is a very important parameter for meat retail display, as appearance of the product is the deciding factor for consumers at time of purchase. This study investigated the possibility of extending appearance shelf-life through the combined use of packaging method (overwrapping - OVER, modified atmosphere - MAP, vacuum skin packaging - VSP and a combination of modified atmosphere and vacuum skin packaging - MAPVSP) and antioxidants (vitamin E enriched beef). Retail attributes (appearance, lean colour, % surface discolouration), as well as colour space analysis of images for red, green and blue parameters were measured over 18days.

Oxidative stability of fermented goat meat sausage with different levels of natural antioxidant.

Goat meat was used for fermented sausage processing. The oxidative stability of the fermented goat meat sausage, containing two different levels of natural antioxidant (rosemary-Rosmarinus officinalis), at room temperature, was evaluated by way of periodical analyses for thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS), overall acceptance and descriptive sensory profile, for 90 days. The initial values for TBARS indicated that lipid oxidation occurred during the processing of the fermented sausages.