Qualitative effects of fresh and dried plum ingredients on vacuum-packaged, sliced hams.

Boneless ham muscles (Semimembranosus+Adductor) were injected (20% w/w) with a curing brine containing no plum ingredient (control), fresh plum juice concentrate (FP), dried plum juice concentrate (DP), or spray dried plum powder (PP) at 2.5% or 5%. Hams were cooked, vacuum-packaged, stored at<4°C and evaluated at 2-week intervals over 10 week. Evaluations were performed on sliced product to determine cook loss, vacuum-package purge, Allo-Kramer shear force, 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), proximate analysis, objective color, sensory panel color and sensory attributes. FP, DP and 2.5% PP increased (P<0.05) cook loss by 2% to 7% depending on treatment and level, but the highest cook loss (17.7%) was observed in hams with 5% PP. Shear force values increased as the level of plum ingredient increased (P<0.05) from 2.5% to 5%, and the highest shear values were observed in hams containing 5% FP. There were no differences (P>0.05) in lipid oxidation among treatments as determined by TBARS and sensory evaluation. FP and PP ham color was similar to the control, but DP had a more intense atypical color of cured ham. Minimal changes in physical, chemical and sensory properties were observed during storage of all treatments.

Antioxidant properties of dried plum ingredients in raw and precooked pork sausage.

Raw pork sausages with no antioxidant (control), 3% or 6% dried plum puree (DP), 3% or 6% dried plum and apple puree (DPA), or 0.02% butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA/BHT) were (1) stored raw in chubs at 4 degrees C (RR) and evaluated weekly over 28 d, (2) cooked as patties, vacuum packaged, and stored at 4 degrees C (PR) for weekly evaluation over 28 d, or (3) cooked, vacuum packaged, and stored at -20 degrees C (PF) and evaluated monthly over 90 d. DP at 3% or 6% levels was as effective as BHA/BHT for retarding lipid oxidation in PR sausage patties. Likewise, DP at 3% was equally as effective in PF patties, but DP at 6% was even more effective (lower TBARS values) than BHA/BHT for retarding oxidative rancidity. All treatments decreased the fat and increased moisture content of raw sausages but only 6% DP reduced cooking yields. Inclusion of 6% DP decreased internal redness while both 6% DP and DPA increased yellowness of raw sausage. Trained panel sensory evaluations indicated that DP enhanced sweet taste, decreased salt and bitter tastes, and masked cooked pork/brothy, cooked pork fat, spicy/peppery, and sage flavors. In general, warmed-over flavor notes were not affected by storage treatments. Overall, pork sausage with 3% DP or DPA was as acceptable to consumers as the control or those patties with BHA/BHT, but patties with 6% of either plum product were less desirable. Inclusion of 3% DP was effective as a natural antioxidant for suppressing lipid oxidation in precooked pork sausage patties.

Antioxidant properties of plum concentrates and powder in precooked roast beef to reduce lipid oxidation.

Boneless beef roasts (Semimembranosus+Adductor) were injected (20%) with a brine containing (1) no plum ingredient (control), (2) 2.5 or 5% fresh plum juice concentrate (FP), (3) 2.5 or 5% dried plum juice concentrate (DP), or (4) 2.5 or 5% spray dried plum powder (PP). Whole roasts were cooked, vacuum-packaged and stored at <4.0°C for 10wk. At 2wk intervals, evaluations were performed on sliced product to determine vacuum-packaged purge, Allo-Kramer shear force, lipid oxidation (TBARS), color space values, and sensory attributes. All plum ingredients reduced TBARS values and had minimal effects on tenderness, sensory characteristics, color and appearance. Small changes in purge, color values, TBARS and some sensory properties were found during storage. These results indicate that 2.5% FP or DP could be incorporated into precooked beef roasts to reduce lipid oxidation and potentially, warmed-over flavor (WOF).

Antioxidant properties of selected Oriental non-culinary/nutraceutical herb extracts as evaluated in raw and cooked meat.

Ethanol extracts of white peony (WP), red peony (RP), sappanwood (SW), Moutan peony (MP), rehmania (RE) or angelica (AN) were individually added to ground goat meat at 0.5-2.0% (g dry extract/100 g final meat sample), and raw and cooked samples were aerobically refrigerated for 0, 3 or 6 days. These extracts and rosemary extract (RO) were also individually added to salted or unsalted ground beef at 0.01-0.25% and refrigerated as raw or cooked patties. WP, RP, RE, SW and MP markedly reduced (P<0.05) lipid oxidation in cooked-stored goat meat. With 0.25% of WP, RP, SW, MP or RO in beef, lipid oxidation during storage was minimal in raw and cooked patties (plain or salted); raw patty redness values at day 6 were higher (P<0.05) for SW, WP, RP or MP than RO treatment or the control. At 0.01%, SW was more antioxidative (P<0.05) than the other extracts.

Comparison of flavor changes in cooked-refrigerated beef, pork and chicken meat patties.

Beef and pork longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) and chicken breast (B) and thigh (T) muscles excised 24 h postmortem were ground by muscle/species group, formed into patties, pan-fried, refrigerated for 0, 3 or 6 days, and evaluated by a trained sensory panel for intensity of specific flavors. The rate of decline in species-specific natural meat flavor intensity and the rate of increase in "cardboard" (CBD) flavor intensity during the first half of the 6-day storage were fastest for beef, while such decline and increase during the entire storage period were slowest for chicken B. Overall trends of natural meat flavor and CBD intensity changes for chicken T appeared more like those for the red meats than chicken B. It was concluded that, while flavor deterioration can occur in cooked-stored meats from all the species, quantitative or the magnitude of differences between species would depend on muscle types and sensory terms/method used.

Sensory properties and lipid oxidation in aerobically refrigerated cooked ground goat meat.

Plain meat loaf and chili (a seasoned product) prepared with vacuum-packaged/frozen-and-thawed ground goat meat were aerobically refrigerated for 0, 3, or 6 days. The 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) content of the plain loaf increased ∼3200 and ∼4200% after 3 and 6 days, respectively, while peroxide value (PV) increased 250 and 430%. The corresponding increases for chili were much smaller (29 and 79% for TBARS and 90 and 47% for PV), most likely due to antioxidative effects of culinary non-meat ingredients used in chili preparation. Trained sensory panel evaluations of plain loaf samples showed that "cooked goat meat/brothy" aromatic (associated with freshly cooked goat meat) intensity decreased (P<0.05) 3% in plain loaf samples stored for 6 days, while "cardboard" aromatic (associated with oxidized cooked meat) intensity increased (P<0.05) 31%. "Cardboard" scores correlated (P<0.05) with both TBARS and PV, but the correlation was higher with TBARS.

Consumer sensory evaluation of plain and seasoned goat meat and beef products.

Plain meat loaves and chili were prepared with ground goat meat or beef containing 15% fat. A consumer sensory panel first rated meat loaf samples for acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale. Then, meat loaf samples, followed by chili samples, were each evaluated in triangle test for differentiation between goat meat and beef. Acceptability scores were similar for plain goat meat and beef loaves when the goat meat product was served before the beef product, but were lower for the goat meat with reverse serving order. In triangle tests, goat meat was differentiated from beef, whether plain or seasoned products.

Restoration of atrial mechanical function after successful radio-frequency catheter ablation of atrial flutter.

BACKGROUND: Atrial mechanical dysfunction and its recovery time course after successful radiofrequency ablation of chronic atrial flutter (AFL) has been largely unknown. We serially evaluated left atrial function by echocardiography after successful ablation of chronic atrial flutter. METHODS: In 13 patients with chronic AFL, mitral E wave A wave, and the ratio of A/E velocity were measured at 1 day, 1 month, 3 months and 6-12 months after successful radiofrequency (RF) ablation. Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) technique was also used to avoid load-dependent variation in the flow velocity pattern. RESULTS: Left atrial mechanical function, assessed by A wave velocity and the annular motion, was depressed at 1 day, but improved significantly at 1 month and maintained through 6-12 months after the ablation. Left atrial size did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Left atrial mechanical function was depressed immediately after successful RF ablation of chronic AFL, but it improved significantly after 1 month and was maintained over one year.

Intravascular ultrasound analysis of beta radiation therapy for diffuse in-stent restenosis to inhibit intimal hyperplasia.

We evaluated the efficacy of beta-radiation therapy ((188)Re-MAG(3)) to inhibit intimal hyperplasia (IH) in diffuse in-stent restenosis by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) analysis in 50 patients. Nine patients who did not agree with radiation therapy, and therefore underwent rotational atherectomy and balloon angioplasty for diffuse in-stent restenosis in the same study period, were selected for control groups. Serial IVUS comparisons were available in 44 of 50 patients with radiation therapy and 7 of 9 control patients. At 6-month follow-up, there was less significant increase of IH area in patients with radiation therapy than in control patients (Delta IH area = 0.1 +/- 0.8 mm(2) vs. 2.6 +/- 1.8 mm(2), P > 0.001 in mean values, and 0.6 +/- 1.4 mm(2) vs. 2.9 +/- 2.1 mm(2), P = 0.026 in values of follow-up lesion site, respectively). In conclusion, beta-radiation therapy might be an effective treatment modality to inhibit intimal hyperplasia in patients with diffuse in-stent restenosis.

Long-term follow-up after deferring angioplasty in asymptomatic patients with moderate noncritical in-stent restenosis.

BACKGROUND: Many patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR) are angina-free, but the optimal treatment for these patients remains uncertain. HYPOTHESIS: In cases with asymptomatic moderate noncritical ISR. deferral of the intervention may be safe and associated with favorable clinical outcome. METHODS: We evaluated the long-term clinical outcome of asymptomatic patients (Group 1, n = 98) with moderate noncritical ISR (< 70% diameter stenosis) after intervention was deferred, and compared it with that of patients (Group 2, n = 655) without restenosis. After repeat angioplasty was deferred, all patients were treated medically and later underwent angioplasty only in the case of clinical recurrence. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. Clinical follow-up was available in all patients at 26.3+/-15.9 months. Twenty patients died during the follow-up: 1 in Group 1 and 19 in Group 2. Target lesion revascularization was performed in 3 patients in Group 1 and 11 patients in Group 2 during follow-up (p = NS), and new lesion revascularization in 2 patients in Group 1 and 27 patients in Group 2 (p = NS). Event-free survival rate (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization) was 86.7+/-6.1% in Group 1 and 84.8+/-2.2% in Group 2 at the end of follow-up (p = NS). Major adverse cardiac events were only associated with the presence of diabetic mellitus (hazards ratio 2.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-4.73, p<0.01). The percentage of patients receiving antianginal medication was similar between the two groups at the end of the study (p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic patients with moderate noncritical ISR have a good prognosis and similar clinical outcome as those without ISR, suggesting that it may be safe to defer repeat angioplasty in these patients until angina recurrence.

Six-month angiographic follow-up after intravascular ultrasound-guided stenting of infarct-related artery: comparison with non-infarct-related artery.

BACKGROUND: Compared with balloon angioplasty, stenting has been established as an effective treatment modality to reduce restenosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, the immediate results that predict favorable long-term outcomes in the acute infarct stenting are unknown. Therefore, we evaluated long-term outcomes of stenting for infarct-related artery (IRA) lesions by using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) compared with that of stenting for non-IRA lesions. METHODS: IVUS-guided coronary stenting was successfully performed in 510 native coronary lesions (105 IRA vs 405 non-IRA). A 6-month follow-up angiogram was performed in 419 (82.2%) lesions: 87 (82.9%) IRA lesions and 332 (82.0%) non-IRA lesions. Coronary stenting on the IRA lesions was successfully performed within 7 to 10 days after onset of infarction in 42 patients and within 12 hours in 45 patients. Results were evaluated by clinical, angiographic, and IVUS methods. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in clinical and angiographic variables between the two groups. IVUS variables including reference vessel area and minimal stent area were also similar between the two groups. There was no significant difference in angiographic restenosis rate between the two groups in cases of minimal stent area > or = 7 mm(2): 12.8% (6 of 47) in IRA versus 19.1% (33 of 173) in non-IRA lesions (P = .315). However, the angiographic restenosis rate in cases of minimal stent area <7 mm(2) was 50% (20 of 40) in IRA lesions versus 31.5% (50 of 159) in non-IRA lesions (P = .028). CONCLUSIONS: Angiographic restenosis is significantly higher in stenting for IRA lesions compared with that for non-IRA lesions in cases of minimal stent area < 7 mm(2).

Pro-oxidative effects of NaCl in microbial growth-controlled and uncontrolled beef and chicken.

Ground beef or chicken breast muscle samples - either pretreated (PT) with 60 ppm chlortetracycline/0.2% potassium sorbate (to control microbial growth) or not pretreated (NPT) - were mixed with 0-5% NaCl and aerobically refrigerated for 0-6 days. NaCl increased 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) values of stored beef and chicken, regardless of pretreatment, with its concentration having a quadratic effect on TBARS. After 3 or 6 days, beef samples were much higher in TBARS content than chicken samples. At each NaCl level, TBARS content increased or tended to increase with storage time for beef (NPT and PT) and PT chicken, but not in NPT chicken. Nonheme iron content in stored NPT and PT beef and PT chicken tended to increase with NaCl concentration.

Antioxidative effects of cottonseed meals as evaluated in cooked meat.

Cottonseed meal samples were collected from nine cottonseed oil mills in the USA. The meal samples contained 230-1,820 ppm free gossypol and 8,300-16,480 ppm total gossypol. Finely ground meals were incorporated into ground beef with 15% fat or ground lean meats (beef semimembranosus muscle and goat lean composite), at 0-3% of the final meat mixture weight. The meat mixtures were cooked to an internal temperature of 77°C, aerobically refrigerated for 3 days, and analyzed for lipid oxidation using a distillation 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay method. All the cottonseed meals were highly effective antioxidants in cooked meats, decreasing day-3 TBARS values by 77-91% with 3% addition. Estimated gossypol levels in the meat samples with 3% cottonseed meal were 7-55 ppm free gossypol (vs. the 450 ppm maximum limit set by the United States Food and Drug Administration for human food products) and 249-494 ppm total gossypol (vs. the 12,000 ppm maximum limit by the UN Food and Agriculture and World Health Organizations for food products). There was no significant correlation between the antioxidative efficacy of the meals and free or total gossypol levels.

Determinants of coronary blood flow following primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction.

The aim of this study was to evaluate determinants of coronary blood flow following primary angioplasty (PA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The corrected TIMI (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction) frame count and the TIMI flow grade were used as indexes of coronary blood flow, and its determinants were examined in 115 consecutive AMI patients who underwent PA (pain onset

Fatty acid composition of goat diets vs intramuscular fat.

Twenty Boer x Spanish goats, at the age range of 90-118 days, were assigned to two dietary treatments, with 10 animals fed a grain ration (G) and the other 10 grazed in rangeland. The grain ration contained sorghum grain (67.5%), cottonseed hulls, dehydrated alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, soybean meal, molasses, and mineral and vitamin supplements. Animals were slaughtered at the age range of 206-234 days. Intramuscular fat (IF) and the diet specimens - representative samples of G and the parts of range plants (RPs) that goats were expected to have consumed - were analyzed for fatty acid composition. The percentage of 16:0 was higher in RPs than in G, but not different between IF from range goats and that from grain-fed goats. Total unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) percentage was higher in G than in RPs. The major UFAs were 18:2 and 18:3 in RPs, and 18:1 and 18:2 in G. In IF, 18:1 constituted more than two-thirds of UFAs, regardless of diet type.

Stability of catalase and its potential role in lipid oxidation in meat.

The activity of catalase in microbial growth-controlled and uncontrolled ground beef muscle (semimembranosus, SM) did not change (P>0.05) during 6-day storage at 4°C. Likewise, catalase activity in ground, beef SM and longissimus dorsi (LD), pork LD, and chicken breast (B) and thigh (T) muscles was not affected (P>0.05) by 2-month storage at -20°C, with or without mid-month thawing/refreezing. When sodium azide (a catalase inhibitor) was added to ground beef SM, lipid oxidation (as measured by peroxide values) during 4-day refrigeration was higher (P<0.05) in treated samples - 43 and 55% higher at day 2 and day 4, respectively - than in the controls. It was concluded that catalase would be stable during meat storage/distribution and contribute significantly to the antioxidative process in raw meat products.

Expanded extrudates from corn starch-lamb blends: process optimization using response surface methodology.

A central composite second-order design was used to study the effects of feed (raw material blend) moisture, process temperature, and screw speed on expansion ratio (ER) and shear-force (SF) of extrudates from blends of corn starch and lean lamb. Quadratic polynomial equations were obtained by multiple regression analysis using response surface methodology. The predicted models were adequate when tested by the lack of fit and coefficient of determination. The validity of the models was also confirmed by experimental data. Regression analysis predicted an optimal (minimal) SF to be attained with 26.5% feed moisture, 148°C process temperature, and 134 rpm screw speed. This process condition was used in a companion study to produce and compare extrudates from blends of corn starch and lamb or mutton with similar extrudates produced with other meats. ©

Composition, storage stability and sensory properties of expanded extrudates from blends of corn starch and goat meat, lamb, mutton, spent fowl meat, or beef.

Blends of corn starch (81.72-84.86%) and ground meat (goat meat, lamb, mutton, spent hen meat, beef 15.14-18.28%) were prepared for a target moisture level of 26.5% (with no added water) and cooked-puffed using a single-screw extruder. All extrudates were well expanded and low in fat (< 1.5%), a(w) (< 0.12), bulk density, and shear-force. Trained panel sensory scores indicated all products were bland, with no differences found in flavor attributes among products. The dominant flavor notes were "rice" and "dried grassy" (mean scores of 2.23-2.29 and 1.81-2.15, respectively, on a 0-15 scale). Most panelists did not perceive "meat" note or species-related meat flavor. Total polyunsaturated fatty acid percentage was similar for extrudates with beef, lamb and mutton and highest for those with chicken. When extrudates were stored aerobically at 37°C for up to 120 days, lipid oxidation (as measured in meq. peroxides/kg fat) was lower for products containing goat meat, lamb, or mutton than for those with beef or chicken. The degree of polyunsaturation or unsaturation of their fat only partly accounted for the lipid oxidation differences. ©

Tenderizing spent fowl meat with calcium chloride. 4. Improved oxidative stability and the effects of additional aging.

The goal of these experiments was to determine the effects of CaCl2 and NaCl injections on spent fowl meat tenderness and oxidative stability. Two hundred spent Leghorn hens were used in this two-part study. In the first experiment, breast fillets from 160 spent Leghorn hens were harvested immediately after death, injected with 0.3 M CaCl2 or H2O, vacuum tumbled, and either cooked immediately after tumbling or aged at 1 C for 23 h prior to cooking. Although the CaCl2 injection reduced shear values without aging, additional tenderization occurred during the aging period. In the second experiment, breast fillets from 40 spent Leghorn hens were harvested immediately after death, injected with 0.3 M CaCl2, 0.6 M NaCl, 0.15 M CaCl2 + 0.3 M NaCl, or H2O, vacuum tumbled, and then aged at 1 C for 23 h before cooking. The three salt injection treatments reduced shear values to a similar extent, but the sarcomeres were significantly longer for the NaCl treatment than the CaCl2 or combination treatments. Panelists preferred the CaCl2 + NaCl fillets over the CaCl2 fillets. Replacing some of the CaCl2 with NaCl maintained the tenderizing effect, and panelist comments indicated that the slight aftertaste of the 0.3 M CaCl2 treatment was reduced. The sodium contribution of the 0.6 M NaCl treatment would also be reduced by the CaCl2 + NaCl treatment.

Modification of plasma and hepatic lipids of guinea pigs by feeding high oleic acid pork compared with regular pork.

Meat from such monogastric animals as swine can be modified to substitute monounsaturated fatty acids for saturated fatty acids. Because monounsaturated fatty acids have a beneficial effect on serum lipids as compared with saturated fatty acids, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of modified pork as compared with regular pork on serum and hepatic lipids. Guinea pigs were fed diets containing pork from control diet-fed hogs or from hogs fed a diet containing high oleic acid sunflower oil. The pork provided almost all of the fat in the diets at the level of 4 and 15 g/100 g diet, 10 or 34% energy. The high oleic pork muscle and fat contained 26 and 46% less palmitic and stearic acids (the primary saturated fatty acids), respectively, and 31 and 29% more oleic acid (the primary monounsaturated fatty acid) than the regular pork muscle and fat, respectively. Cholesterol concentration of diets ranged from 0.06 to 0.08% of the diet. Although total serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations did not differ due to type of pork, results indicated that serum LDL cholesterol was lower (15%) and hepatic cholesterol was greater (15%) in the high oleic pork, 15% fat group as compared with the control pork 15% fat group. Also, serum LDL cholesterol concentration was higher in the groups fed 15% fat compared with those fed 4% fat. In this study pork modified to have more oleic acid and less saturated fatty acids had a positive effect on tissue lipids when fed to animals.