Plant-Derived Natural Antioxidants in Meat and Meat Products.

The global meat industry is constantly evolving due to changes in consumer preferences, concerns and lifestyles, as well as monetary, geographical, political, cultural and religious factors. Part of this evolution is the introduction of synthetic antioxidants to increase meat and meat products' shelf-life, and reduce meat spoilage due to lipid and protein oxidation. The public perception that natural compounds are safer and healthier per se has motivated the meat industry to replace synthetic antioxidants with plant-derived ones in meat systems. Despite several promising results from in vitro and in situ studies, the effectiveness of plant-derived antioxidants against lipid and protein oxidation has not been fully documented. Moreover, the utility, usability, marketability and potential health benefits of natural antioxidants are not yet fully proven. The present review aims to (i) describe the major chemical groups of plant-derived antioxidants and their courses of action; (ii) present the application of spices, herbs and fruits as antioxidants in meat systems; and (iii) discuss the legislative framework, future trends, challenges and limitations that are expected to shape their acceptance and mass exploitation by the meat industry.

Natural Phenolic Compounds for the Control of Oxidation, Bacterial Spoilage, and Foodborne Pathogens in Meat.

Alternative technologies for long-term preservation, quality assurance, and safety of meat are continuously pursued by the food industry to satisfy the demands of modern consumers for nutritious and healthy meat-based products. Naturally occurring phenolic compounds are considered promising substances by the meat industry for their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, while consumers seem to embrace them for their claimed health benefits. Despite the numerous in vitro and in situ studies demonstrating their beneficial effects against meat oxidation, spoilage, and foodborne pathogens, wide application and commercialization has not been yet achieved. Major obstacles are still the scarcity of legislative framework, the large variety of meat-based products and targeted pathogens, the limited number of case-specific application protocols and the questionable universal efficiency of the applied ones. The objectives of the present review are i) to summarize the current knowledge about the applications of naturally occurring phenols in meat and meat-based products, emphasizing the mechanisms, determinants, and spectrum of their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity; ii) to present state-of-the-art technologies utilized for the application of phenolic compounds in meat systems; and iii) to discuss relevant regulation, limitations, perspectives, and future challenges for their mass industrial use.

Potential authentication of various meat-based products using simple and efficient DNA extraction method.

BACKGROUND: The growth of halal food consumption worldwide has resulted in an increase in the request for halal authentication. DNA-based detection using powerful real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique has been shown to be highly specific and sensitive authentication tool. The efficient DNA extraction method in terms of quality and quantity is a backbone step to obtain successful real-time PCR assays. In this study, different DNA extraction methods using three lysis buffers were evaluated and developed to recommend a much more efficient method as well as achieve a successful detection using real-time PCR. RESULTS: The lysis buffer 2 (LB2) has been shown to be the best lysis buffer for DNA extraction from both raw and processed meat samples comparing to other lysis buffers tested. Hence, the LB2 has been found to be ideal to detect meat and porcine DNAs by real-time PCR using pairs of porcine specific primers and universal primers which amplified at 119 bp fragment and 93 bp fragment, respectively. This assay allows detection as low as 0.0001 ng of DNA. Higher efficiency and sensitivity of real-time PCR via a simplified DNA extraction method using LB2 have been observed, as well as a reproducible and high correlation coefficient (R2  = 0.9979) based on the regression analysis of the standard curve have been obtained. CONCLUSION: This study has established a fast, simple, inexpensive and efficient DNA extraction method that is feasible for raw and processed meat products. This extraction technique allows an accurate DNA detection by real-time PCR and can also be implemented to assist the halal authentication of various meat-based products available in the market. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Clostridium perfringens Contamination in Retail Meat and Meat-Based Products in Bursa, Turkey.

This study examined the incidence of Clostridium perfringens in raw, ready-to-cook (RTC), and ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and meat-based products (N = 306) collected from restaurants, supermarkets, and butcher shops in Bursa, Turkey. In addition, we investigated the presence of the C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), as well as cpe genes and their source (chromosomal or plasmid borne). In this study, tryptose sulfite cycloserine (TSC) agar for classic culture isolation and API and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques were used to identify C. perfringens and detect cpa and cpe genes from these products, respectively. Seventeen C. perfringens isolates (5.6%) were isolated and identified with API 20A. In addition, 42 of 81 suspicious isolates (51.9%) were identified as C. perfringens using RT-PCR. Of the 81 suspicious isolates tested by RT-PCR, 22 (27.2%) carried the cpe gene either on the plasmid or chromosome. Twenty-one isolates were positive for chromosomal cpe (C-cpe), and one was positive for plasmid-borne cpe (P-cpe). CPE was detected in 31.8% (7/22) of the cpe positive isolates by the PET-RPLA test. In conclusion, C. perfringens and their CPEs were present in raw, RTC, and RTE meat and meat-based foods in this study. It is emphasized that the presence of C. perfringens and the cpe gene in these foods may be a potential risk for human health.

Determination of five tetracyclines and their epimers by LC-MS/MS based on a liquid-liquid extraction with low temperature partitioning.

An LC-MS/MS method is presented for screening five tetracyclines and their epimers in a broad range of food products. The scope of matrices includes meat-, fish-, seafood-based products, various dairy ingredients, infant formulae and fats. The method principle is based on a liquid-liquid extraction with aqueous ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and acetonitrile followed by a freezing step to promote phase separation at low temperature. After defatting with hexane, sample extracts were evaporated and reconstituted before injection onto the LC-MS/MS system. The addition of oxalic acid in the aqueous mobile phase was mandatory to maintain good peak shape and sensitivity over the run. The screening is based upon a double preparation of each sample, one 'as such' and a second one with the analytes spiked in the sample, in order to mitigate the risk of false negative response. The method was validated according to the European Community Reference Laboratories Residues Guidelines. A total of 93 samples were included in the validation by two independent laboratories giving both false-negative and false-positive rates at 0% for all compounds. Over the last two years, 2600 samples were analysed routinely and only one chicken sample was found above the regulatory limit.

Characteristics and consumer acceptance of healthier meat and meat product formulations-a review.

Awareness of health and nutrition has led to the development of "functional foods" which is a new approach to achieve healthier status thus reducing the risk of diseases. Meat has been highly exploited as a functional ingredient/food in recent years wherein meat has either been modified or incorporated into non meat products. Changing consumer demand has influenced the market for all types of meat. The development and marketing the functional foods can be, however, very challenging compared to the foods that conventionally have a high health image. This review gives the overall perception about importance of using meat/meat products as a functional food.