A Microbiological and Sensory Evaluation of Modified Atmosphere-Packed (MAP) Chicken at Use-By Date and Beyond.

Consumers are responsible for a large proportion of food waste, and food that has reached its use-by or best-before date is often discarded, even if edible. In this study on fresh chicken, the suitability of use-by dates currently used in the EU was evaluated by using microbial and sensory analyses. This was carried out by analyzing bacterial populations of chicken breast fillets (M. pectoralis major) at three different time points (use-by date, 2 days past use-by date, 4 days past use-by date) and two different storage temperatures (4 °C, 8 °C). A discrimination triangle test was performed to check for sensory differences between chicken breast fillets cooked at the three selected time points for both storage temperatures. A consumer preference test was also performed for chicken breast fillets that had been stored at the highest recommended temperature (4 °C) and after being cooked at the three time points. Changes in populations of total aerobic count (TAC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were recorded over time. Despite large differences in bacterial counts at the selected time points, with TAC populations of approximately 6.5 and 8.0 log CFU/g at use-by date and four days after use-by date, respectively, storage for two or four extra days had no significant effect on the sensory parameters of cooked chicken compared with chicken consumed at its use-by date. Since the TAC populations were close to or above levels that are associated with spoilage, more work is needed to explore if shelf life can be extended.

Finger Food Meals as a Means of Improving Mealtimes for People with Motoric Eating Difficulties: A Pilot Study.

Motoric eating difficulties affecting the ability to eat according to established norms may result in loss of autonomy, reduced food intake and decreased social interaction. Finger food meals may affect the ability to eat independently and were therefore compared to regular meals for older adults >65 years with major motoric eating difficulties. In this pilot study the screening instrument MEOF-II, including additional questions about use of cutlery and fingers, was used to collect data regarding autonomy, food intake and social interaction through observations. Five women and one man participated in the study. Results showed that finger food meals facilitated autonomous eating since the participants were able to eat independently without relying on help from others. Less energy was spent on eating, which allowed for social interaction. However, finger food meals entail unfamiliar norms and culinary rules which may hinder eating; this is an important factor to consider in the implementation of such meals. Further studies on finger foods for older adults may consider larger and diverse cohorts, including healthy older adults, those with motoric difficulties and those with early stages of cognitive decline. Also, a wider variety of finger foods for specific cultural preferences and situations may be considered.

Evaluation of Nutritional Quality and Sensory Parameters of Meat from Mallard and Four Species of Wild Goose.

Future challenges concerning protein supply for food and feed include the management of all currently available resources. In Sweden, wildfowl are hunted for several reasons, one of which is to protect growing crops. In this study, meat from wild geese and mallard was evaluated with respect to its quality and sensory parameters. The most pronounced sensory differences were between meat from the barnacle goose and the Canada goose and between meat from mallards that were farmed and born wild. This study also provides measurements of values for the nutritional and heavy metal contents of the meat from these wildfowl species in order to elucidate their possible use as modern foods.

Health and Sustainability in Public Meals-An Explorative Review.

The world is facing a number of challenges related to food consumption. These are, on the one hand, health effects and, on the other hand, the environmental impact of food production. Radical changes are needed to achieve a sustainable and healthy food production and consumption. Public and institutional meals play a vital role in promoting health and sustainability, since they are responsible for a significant part of food consumption, as well as their "normative influence" on peoples' food habits. The aim of this paper is to provide an explorative review of the scientific literature, focusing on European research including both concepts of health and sustainability in studies of public meals. Of >3000 papers, 20 were found to satisfy these criteria and were thus included in the review. The results showed that schools and hospitals are the most dominant arenas where both health and sustainability have been addressed. Three different approaches in combining health and sustainability have been found, these are: "Health as embracing sustainability", "Sustainability as embracing health" and "Health and sustainability as separate concepts". However, a clear motivation for addressing both health and sustainability is most often missing.

Mealworms as Food Ingredient-Sensory Investigation of a Model System.

The use of insects as food is a sustainable alternative to meat and as a protein source is fully comparable to meat, fish and soybeans. The next step is to make insects available for use in the more widespread production of food and meals. Sensory attributes are of great importance in being able to increase the understanding of insects as an ingredient in cooking and production. In this pilot study, mealworms were used as the main ingredient in a model system, where the aim was to evaluate the impact on sensory properties of changing particle size, oil/water ratio and salt content of the insects using a factorial design. Twelve different samples were produced according to the factorial design. Further, the effect of adding an antioxidant agent was evaluated. Sensory analysis and instrumental analyses were performed on the samples. Particle size significantly influenced the sensory attributes appearance, odor, taste and texture, but not flavor, whereas salt content affected taste and flavor. The viscosity was affected by the particle size and instrumentally measured color was affected by particle size and oil content. The addition of the antioxidant agent decreased the changes in color, rancidity and separation.

Quality Aspects of Insects as Food-Nutritional, Sensory, and Related Concepts.

In the search for another appealing source of future food to cover the increasing need for nutrients of a growing global population, this study reviewed the potential of insects as human food. Most previous reviews have dealt with insects as a group, making it difficult to evaluate each individual insect species as food because of the generalized data. This study assessed some common edible insects, but concentrated on mealworms. Insects, especially mealworms, have a similar or higher nutritional value than many conventional food sources. For example, the protein content of mealworm larvae is reported to be almost 50% of dry weight, while the fat content is about 30% of larval dry weight. Mealworms can be cooked by different methods, such as hot air drying, oven broiling, roasting, pan frying, deep frying, boiling, steaming, and microwaving. Oven broiling in particular gives a desirable aroma of steamed corn for consumers. Changes in the flavor, taste, and texture of mealworm products during storage have not been studied, but must be determined before mealworms can be used as a commercial food source. Factors controlling the shelf-life of mealworms, such as their packaging and storage, should be identified and considered with respect to the feasibility of using mealworms on a commercial scale.

The Effect of Emulsion Intensity on Selected Sensory and Instrumental Texture Properties of Full-Fat Mayonnaise.

Varying processing conditions can strongly affect the microstructure of mayonnaise, opening up new applications for the creation of products tailored to meet different consumer preferences. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of emulsification intensity on sensory and instrumental characteristics of full-fat mayonnaise. Mayonnaise, based on a standard recipe, was processed at low and high emulsification intensities, with selected sensory and instrumental properties then evaluated using an analytical panel and a back extrusion method. The evaluation also included a commercial reference mayonnaise. The overall effects of a higher emulsification intensity on the sensory and instrumental characteristics of full-fat mayonnaise were limited. However, texture was affected, with a more intense emulsification resulting in a firmer mayonnaise according to both back extrusion data and the analytical sensory panel. Appearance, taste and flavor attributes were not affected by processing.

Methodological considerations in a pilot study on the effects of a berry enriched smoothie on children's performance in school.

Berries contain bioactive compounds that may affect children's cognitive function positively, while hunger and thirst during lessons before lunch affect academic performance negatively. This pilot study addresses methodological challenges in studying if a berry smoothie, offered to schoolchildren as a mid-morning beverage, affects academic performance. The objective was to investigate if a cross-over design can be used to study these effects in a school setting. Therefore, in order to investigate assay sensitivity, 236 Swedish children aged 10-12 years were administered either a berry smoothie (active) or a fruit-based control beverage after their mid-morning break. Both beverages provided 5% of child daily energy intake. In total, 91% of participants completed the study. Academic performance was assessed using the d2 test of attention. Statistical analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test in StatXact v 10.3. The results showed that the children consumed less of the active berry smoothie than the control (154 g vs. 246 g). Both beverages increased attention span and concentration significantly (p = 0.000). However, as there was no significant difference (p = 0.938) in the magnitude of this effect between the active and control beverages, the assay sensitivity of the study design was not proven. The effect of the beverages on academic performance was attributed the supplementation of water and energy. Despite careful design, the active smoothie was less accepted than the control. This could be explained by un-familiar sensory characteristics and peer influence, stressing the importance of sensory similarity and challenges to perform a study in school settings. The employed cross-over design did not reveal any effects of bioactive compound consumption on academic performance. In future studies, the experimental set up should be modified or replaced by e.g. the parallel study design, in order to provide conclusive results.

The influence of production systems on meat quality, with emphasis on pork.

Technological, nutritional, and sensory meat quality may be influenced by multiple interacting factors before and after slaughter. Reviewing the literature, it can be seen that alterations aimed at creating more sustainable production systems for pig meat generally have either no effect or a lowering effect on the ultimate pH value of the meat. Some studies indicate reduced water-holding capacity in sustainably produced pork. Outdoor production may be expected to increase further the shear force of the meat compared to conventional systems. The color may be affected in different ways, leading to either darker, more pigmented meat or paler, structurally effected meat. The more unsaturated profile of the lipids in meat produced in a system that includes feeds containing polyunsaturated fatty acids is favorable with respect to the nutritional quality of the meat. To conclude, the combinatory effects of, for example, feeding, production systems, genotype, sex, and preslaughter treatments, have to be addressed.

Natural variations of precursors in pig meat affect the yield of heterocyclic amines--effects of RN genotype, feeding regime, and sex.

Pig meat shows natural variations in the concentrations of precursors of heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which may affect formation of HCAs in cooked pig meat. To study this, 26 pigs with an inherent genetic variation (carriers and noncarriers of the RN(-) allele) were subjected to different feeding regimes (conventional feed compared with feed composed according to organic standards). In addition, the effect of sex (castrated males or females) was considered when assessing chemical and technological meat quality parameters. Concentrations of precursors of HCAs, i.e., creatine, residual glycogen, dipeptides, and free amino acids, were analyzed in the raw meat, and the levels of some HCAs (4,8-DiMeIQx, MeIQx, PhIP, harman, and norharman) were then determined in fried meat patties prepared from these pigs. The RN genotype most affected technological meat quality parameters and the level of precursors of HCAs, especially the level of residual glycogen, where carriers of the RN(-) allele showed levels four times as high as those of noncarriers (75.3 +/- 2.6 compared with 17.2 +/- 2.4 micromol/g meat, least-squares means +/- SE). The increased level of residual glycogen resulted in about 50% lower amounts of total mutagenic HCAs in cooked meat compared with cooked meat from normal pigs. Fried meat from carriers of the RN(-) allele obtained darker crust color than meat from noncarriers. Feeding regime and sex did not significantly affect the chemical composition of the meat or the formation of HCAs.

Differences in meat quality between organically and conventionally produced pigs.

This study compared organic pig meat production with conventional production with regard to carcass- and meat quality traits. 80 crossbred female and castrated male pigs were used [(Swedish Landrace × Swedish Yorkshire) × Hampshire] of which 40 were raised under organic conditions and the other 40 were raised in a conventional production system. The organic pigs were raised outdoors in one large group following the regulations for organic standards. The conventionally raised animals were kept indoors in groups of eight and were given a conventional feed mixture. It was found that meat of organically raised non-carriers of the RN(-) allele was of poorer quality (higher drip loss and increased shear force values) compared with meat from the other animals. The RN genotype had a relatively small effect on carcass and technological traits in this study. The sex of the animals affected carcass traits.