In-depth exploration of the high and normal pH beef proteome: First insights emphasizing the dynamic protein changes in Longissimus thoracis muscle from pasture-finished Nellore bulls over different postmortem times.

This study aimed to evaluate for the first time the temporal dynamic changes in early postmortem proteome of normal and high ultimate pH (pHu) beef samples from the same cattle using a shotgun proteomics approach. Ten selected carcasses classified as normal (pHu < 5.8; n = 5) or high (pHu ≥ 6.2; n = 5) pHu beef from pasture-finished Nellore (Bos taurus indicus) bulls were sampled from Longissimus thoracis muscle at 30 min, 9 h and 44 h postmortem for proteome comparison. The temporal proteomics profiling quantified 863 proteins, from which 251 were differentially abundant (DAPs) between high and normal pHu at 30 min (n = 33), 9 h (n = 181) and 44 h (n = 37). Among the myriad interconnected pathways regulating pH decline during postmortem metabolism, this study revealed the pivotal role of energy metabolism, cellular response to stress, oxidoreductase activity and muscle system process pathways throughout the early postmortem. Twenty-three proteins overlap among postmortem times and may be suggested as candidate biomarkers to the dark-cutting condition development. The study further evidenced for the first time the central role of ribosomal proteins and histones in the first minutes after animal bleeding. Moreover, this study revealed the disparity in the mechanisms underpinning the development of dark-cutting beef condition among postmortem times, emphasizing multiple dynamic changes in the muscle proteome. Therefore, this study revealed important insights regarding the temporal dynamic changes that occur in early postmortem of high and normal muscle pHu beef, proposing specific pathways to determine the biological mechanisms behind dark-cutting determination.

Impact of Micronized Salt in Reducing the Sodium Content in Fresh Sausages.

This study aimed to investigate the incorporation of micronized salt (MS) to reduce sodium content in fresh sausages while preserving technological, chemical, textural, and sensory characteristics. Four treatments were prepared: control (C) with 2.0% regular salt; M2.0% with 2.0% micronized salt; M1.5% with 1.5% micronized salt; and M1.0% with 1.0% micronized salt, containing 1004, 1133, 860, and 525 mg of sodium/100 g of product, respectively. To characterize the samples, analyses of sodium content, cooking loss, relative myoglobin content, and instrumental color were carried out. The sensory analysis was performed using the Temporal-Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) method. Half of the micronized salt treatment was mixed with the fat during the processing of the fresh sausages. It was possible to achieve a 50% reduction in sodium (M1.0%) in the fresh sausages without negative effects on most technological, chemical, and textural parameters, which did not differ from the control treatment (C). Conversely, "chewiness" decreased in M2.0% compared to the control (C) due to mixing micronized salt with the fat. The sodium reduction did not impact the temporal sensory profile and overall liking. Therefore, using micronized salt in fresh sausages reduces sodium content without affecting sensory traits and product stability.

Exploring the effect of a microencapsulated citrus essential oil on in vitro fermentation kinetics of pig gut microbiota.

Essential oils (EOs) have emerged as a potential alternative to antibiotics in pig breeding due to their antimicrobial properties. Citrus EOs, a common by-product of the orange juice industry, can be an interesting alternative from a financial perspective due to their huge offer in the global market. Thus, the effect of a citrus EO, and specifically different formulations of Brazilian Orange Terpenes (BOT), on pig gut microbiota was evaluated by means of an in vitro fermentation model simulating different sections of the pig gut (stomach, ileum, and colon). Treatments consisted in: BOT in its unprotected form (BOT, 1.85 and 3.70 mg/mL), microencapsulated BOT (MBOT, 3.50 and 7.00 mg/mL), colistin (2 µg/mL), and a control. BOT and MBOT altered in a similar way the total bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies in the stomach only from 18 h of incubation onwards, and no metabolite production in terms of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was detected. In ileal and colonic fermentations, BOT and MBOT affected ileal and colonic microbiota in terms of total bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies, reduced phylogenetic diversity, and altered composition (p < 0.05) as evidenced by the significant reduction of certain bacterial taxa. However, more pronounced effects were found for MBOT, indicating its higher antimicrobial effects compared to the unprotected BOT, and suggesting that the antibacterial efficiency of the unprotected BOT was probably enhanced by microencapsulation. Furthermore, MBOT stimulated lactate production in ileal fermentations and greatly stimulated overall SCFA production in colonic fermentations. This indicates that besides the shifts in ileal and colonic microbiota by the delivered EO (BOT), the wall material of microcapsules (chitosan/modified starch) might have worked as an additional carbon source with prebiotic functioning, stimulating growth and metabolic activity (SCFAs) of colonic bacteria.

Original burger (traditional) or burger with mushroom addition? A social representation approach to novel foods.

Currently, consumers' interest in healthy products has attracted the attention of academia and the meat industry, which has focused mainly on incorporating ingredients with healthier properties. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the social representation of original burgers and burgers with mushroom addition considering different sexes and body mass indexes (BMIs) of individuals. Thus, 209 Brazilians answered a word association task followed by a word classification based on their importance and valence for original burgers and burgers with the addition of mushrooms. To obtain the structure of social representation, the words were positioned into four distinct zones based on their frequency of elicitation and importance. Also, the polarity index was used to give a connotation to the words. Three groups of consumers were identified. The first group (consumers with class-1 obesity of both sexes) associated the original burger with positive categories (cheese, juicy, seasoned, food, tasty, joy, salad and delicious). The second one (female consumers with pre-obesity and class-1 obesity) associated the burger with the addition of mushrooms with the elements price, different, vegetarian, flavor, gourmet and healthy. Finally, the third group (men and women for both stimuli and with a wide range of BMI) characterized burgers with sensory attributes, feelings and moments of consumption. In conclusion, the social representation of the original burger and the burger with the addition of mushrooms differed among consumers, suggesting that the main associations can be the main motivations for the consumption of a certain product.

Relationship between volatile organic compounds, free amino acids, and sensory profile of smoked bacon.

Flavor is one of the most important characteristics of smoked bacon, strongly affecting its liking by consumers. The smoking process, lipid oxidation and proteolysis contribute to bacon quality through the generation of odors and flavor compounds. In this study, the relationships between free amino acids (FAAs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sensory characteristics of smoked bacon stored for 60 days at 5 °C were investigated. Smoked bacon stored for 30 days was characterized by VOCs associated with the smoking process and lipid oxidation. After 30 days of storage, the bacon samples presented an increase in FAAs produced mainly by proteolysis. Smoked bacon was characterized by the attributes smoky, crunchy, salty, soft and bright. This study demonstrated that VOCs, FAAs and their interactions are responsible for generating sensory attributes and increasing overall liking.

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activity of a Citrus Essential Oil and Its Fractions.

Essential oils (EOs) from Citrus are the main by-product of Citrus-processing industries. In addition to food/beverage and cosmetic applications, citrus EOs could also potentially be used as an alternative to antibiotics in food-producing animals. A commercial citrus EO-Brazilian Orange Terpenes (BOT)-was fractionated by vacuum fractional distillation to separate BOT into various fractions: F1, F2, F3, and F4. Next, the chemical composition and biological activities of BOT and its fractions were characterized. Results showed the three first fractions had a high relative amount of limonene (≥10.86), even higher than the whole BOT. Conversely, F4 presented a larger relative amount of BOT's minor compounds (carvone, cis-carveol, trans-carveol, cis-p-Mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol, and trans-p-Mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol) and a very low relative amount of limonene (0.08-0.13). Antibacterial activity results showed F4 was the only fraction exhibiting this activity, which was selective and higher activity on a pathogenic bacterium (E. coli) than on a beneficial bacterium (Lactobacillus sp.). However, F4 activity was lower than BOT. Similarly, F4 displayed the highest antioxidant activity among fractions (equivalent to BOT). These results indicated that probably those minor compounds that detected in F4 would be more involved in conferring the biological activities for this fraction and consequently for the whole BOT, instead of the major compound, limonene, playing this role exclusively.

Going beyond sensory and hedonic aspects: A Brazilian study of emotions evoked by beef in different contexts.

For deeper insight into beef consumer experiences during consumption, sensory descriptions seem to be insufficient, and exploration of emotions evoked by this product are required. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the emotions evoked by beef consumption in different contexts. To that end, this work was structured as follows: 1) Emotional vocabulary development; 2) Selection of beef cuts; and 3) Emotional profiling of beef cuts. The emotional vocabulary was useful for characterizing emotions evoked by two beef cuts with different sensory profiles, in different contexts, considering a within-subjects design. Rump cap samples showed the highest liking and were associated with positive emotions, while outside flat samples were less liked and characterized by negative emotions. The evoked context had no effect on hedonic and emotional intensities, but increased the number of emotions elicited by consumers. The correlation of sensory, hedonic and emotional information indicated that tenderness and internal color of beef were correlated with positive emotions and higher liking scores.

Effects of high-oxygen, carbon monoxide modified atmospheres and vacuum packaging on quality of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum steaks from Nellore cows during ageing.

Nellore (Bos indicus) cows play an important role in Brazilian beef production. Here, we investigated whether modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology could contribute to improving the quality of Nellore cow steaks. To verify this, steaks obtained from Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) were stored at 2 °C for 28 days using different packaging systems, with one being vacuum and the others being three MAP systems: 75% O2/25% CO2 (75%O2-MAP), 60% CO2/0.2% CO/39.8% N2 and 40% CO2/0.4% CO/59.6% N2 (0.2%CO-MAP and 0.4%CO-MAP, respectively). Steaks packaged using the CO-MAP showed improved color stability of fresh meat. In turn, the 75%O2-MAP drastically affected the oxidative stability related to proteins and lipids compared to both anaerobic environments (CO-MAP and vacuum). The CO-MAP increased tenderization and ultrastructural changes when compared to the aerobic MAP without affecting pH, collagen or cooking loss, which were influenced by the storage time. In conclusion, MAP technology may improve the quality and appearance of fresh meat originating from Nellore cows, being a promising alternative for the Brazilian beef industry.

Enrichment of NaCl-reduced burger with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: Effects on physicochemical, technological, nutritional, and sensory characteristics.

This study aimed to determine the effect of NaCl reduction and addition of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the quality traits of burgers. Fish oil was either directly incorporated or added as encapsulated by freeze-dried microparticles (complex coacervates) composed of soy protein isolate and inulin. Despite the differences in some parameters associated with NaCl reduction (e.g., instrumental hardness), the quality of the burgers was mainly affected by the microparticles. Thus, a decrease in pH and increase in hardness and chewiness were observed, and a higher exposure of fish oil to oxidation was observed thus increasing volatile oxidation compounds and negatively impacting on the sensory profile and overall liking of the burgers. However, the encapsulation of the fish oil helped to retain EPA and DHA after cooking. The results of the NaCl-reduced burger with unencapsulated fish oil suggest the possibility of incorporating PUFAs, but only containing EPA after cooking.

Modification of NaCl structure as a sodium reduction strategy in meat products: An overview.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an indispensable ingredient in meat products, but the consumption of high doses of sodium contained in their formulations may bring about negative health implications. The replacement of NaCl by other salts in meat products has been a technological challenge. Accordingly, this review highlights the importance of NaCl over other sodium and non­sodium salts in the saltiness perception and proposes the use of reduced-size and shapes of NaCl to maximize saltiness perception, while using less NaCl dosages in meat products. However, the effect of matrix components (water, proteins and fats) on the final salty taste is of special consideration. To counteract the effect of the matrix components, two main routes of incorporation of different NaCl types in meat products are discussed: encapsulation and protection of NaCl by the hydrophobic component of the meat product. Given the limited number of publications using this potential strategy, more studies on the application of these technological strategies are required.

Agaricus bisporus mushroom as partial fat replacer improves the sensory quality maintaining the instrumental characteristics of beef burger.

The effect of Agaricus bisporus (AB) mushroom as a fat replacer in beef burgers was evaluated. Four treatments were compared: control (0% AB, 20% fat) and 3 treatments with partial fat replacement: AB 5% (5% AB, 15% fat); AB 10% (10% AB, 10% fat); AB 15% (AB 15%, 5% fat). Mushroom addition increased moisture content and yield and decreased cooking loss and diameter reduction of the burgers. Formulations with the highest AB concentrations were lighter and redder than the control. AB incorporation affected texture, resulting in less hard and less chewy products. In general, lipid oxidation increased during the storage time, however the lowest values were observed in AB 15%, i.e. the lowest fat content and the presence of AB increased the oxidative stability. AB 10% and AB 15% had good overall liking and were sensorially characterized as juicy, tender and flavorsome burgers. The partial replacement of animal fat by AB is a promising strategy for developing a low-fat burger.

Effect of the smoking using Brazilian reforestation woods on volatile organic compounds, lipid oxidation, microbiological and hedonic quality of bacons during shelf life.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using different reforestation woods (Acacia mearnsii and Eucalyptus citriodora) on the formation of volatile organic compounds and to evaluate the changes in the lipid fraction (peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), microbiological counts and overall liking in bacons stored for 60 days at 5 ± 1 °C. Smoking with Eucalyptus citriodora wood increased the total phenolic content and, consequently, reduced the concentration of hexanal, TBARS, and PV values. Although smoking with different reforestation woods did not impact negatively on the liking of products, no changes on antimicrobial activity was observed in the developed products. Thus, the use of Eucalyptus citriodora wood may be an alternative for smoking meat products as it reduced lipid oxidation and improved the volatile compounds profile, and provided higher antioxidant activity. The information generated herein can be used as a platform for companies to test the viability of producing meat products smoked with reforestation woods.

Looking at non-sensory factors underlying consumers' perception of smoked bacon.

Smoked bacon is a food consumed everywhere and previous work has focused on the sensory properties and acceptability of the product. However, little attention has been given to the non-sensory factors that drive sensory and hedonic perception of this product. In this context, the aim of this work was to study the influence of non-sensory factors on consumer behavior towards smoked bacon, using projective mapping coupled with conjoint analysis. Eight visual stimuli were created using a full factorial design with three factors (convenience, healthiness, and context of consumption), at two levels each. Ninety-five consumers positioned the stimuli in a two-dimensional space considering their similarities and differences, and then, rated their expected liking and purchase intention. According to the projective mapping, consumers based the representation of the stimuli on the three factors under study, but conjoint analysis indicated that healthiness was the most important factor, followed by the context of consumption and convenience. The findings of this study may help in the selection of future strategies in the process of food development, in order to launch products with greater chance of success in the market.

Impact of the content and size of NaCl on dynamic sensory profile and instrumental texture of beef burgers.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of reducing the content and size of NaCl on the instrumental texture and dynamic sensory profile, and to determine the temporal drivers of liking (TDL). The reduction of the NaCl content decreased the hardness and chewiness parameters, and affected the dynamic sensory profile of the product. The NaCl reduction (<1.0% NaCl) was related to a higher incidence of the attributes off-flavor and dry. In general, the overall liking was driven by the juicy and tasty attributes, the latter being associated with the presence of the sensory attributes salty and seasoned and the texture parameters hardness and chewiness. According to the results, among the treatments with NaCl reduction, the beef burger added with 1.0% micronized salt stood out, since it did not affect considerably the texture parameters, the dynamic sensory profile during chewing and the consumers' liking.

Unraveling the selective antibacterial activity and chemical composition of citrus essential oils.

Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) is an often disease affecting piglets. It is caused mainly by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) colonization in pig gut. Antibiotics has been used to prevent, combat and control PWD and its negative impact on the productivity of pig breeding sector. Nonetheless, antibiotics due to their wide antibacterial spectrum also can reach beneficial gut bacteria, such as Lactobacillus. Lately, essential oils (EOs) have emerged as a potential alternative to using antibiotics in animal breeding because of their effect on bacterial growth. Commonly, citrus EOs are by-products of food industry and the availability of these EOs in the worldwide market is huge. Thus, six commercials citrus EOs were evaluated on ETEC strains, as model of pathogenic bacteria, and on Lactobacillus species, as models of beneficial bacteria. In overall, citrus EOs exhibited a selective antibacterial activity with higher effect on pathogenic bacteria (ETECs) than beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus). Brazilian orange terpenes (BOT) oil presented the highest selective performance and caused higher disturbances on the normal growth kinetic of ETEC than on Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The action was dose-dependent on the maximal culture density (A) and the lag phase duration (λ) of the ETEC. The highest sub-inhibitory concentration (0.925 mg/mL) extended the λ duration to ETEC eight times (14.6 h) and reduced A in 55.9%. For L. rhamnosus, the λ duration was only extended 1.6 times. Despite the fact that limonene was detected as the major compound, the selective antibacterial activity of the citrus EOs could not be exclusively attributed to limonene since the presence of minor compounds could be implicated in conferring this feature.

Incorporation of pink pepper residue extract into chitosan film combined with a modified atmosphere packaging: Effects on the shelf life of salmon fillets.

Fresh salmon safety and quality is a major concern of consumers. In the current research, the effects of chitosan films incorporated with pink pepper residue extract and combined with modified atmosphere packaging (100% CO2) on quality properties of skinless salmon fillets during refrigerated storage (2 °C) were evaluated in the course of 28 days. Two different treatments as chitosan film (CF) and chitosan film incorporated with pink pepper residue extract (CFPP) and a control were compared. Salmon fillets were assessed for physicochemical (pH, WHC, TPA, Cie L*a*b*, TMA, TBA, value K), microbiological (mesophilic and psychrotrophic count, and lactic acid bacteria) and sensory properties. The results showed that CF and CFPP significantly reduced lipid oxidation relative to the control. Bacterial counts were significantly lower in CFPP, contributing to the significant reduction of trimethylamine. For sensory evaluation, CF and CFPP presented satisfactory results of off-odor and overall appearance. Despite being similar to the control, CFPP showed the lowest off-odor score. The results indicated that CFPP were more effective in maintaining the quality of salmon fillets during refrigerated storage.

Measuring dynamics of emotions evoked by the packaging colour of hamburgers using Temporal Dominance of Emotions (TDE).

The packaging colour is one of the main extrinsic factors related to sensory perception as it can alter the emotions evoked by the product and, therefore, influence the moment of purchasing a product. There are several methods used to analyse emotions, but the Temporal Dominance of Emotions (TDE) approach stands out. This method allows the study of the temporality of dominant emotions until eating a portion of the hamburger. The aim of this work was to use TDE and overall acceptance to study the dynamic of the emotions evoked by the packaging colour of hamburgers, from first sight of the packaging until eating of a portion of hamburger. The twelve attributes of emotion, determined previously via a focus group, were presented to the consumers to evaluate three different stimuli formed by three different coloured packaging (green, white and red) and the same hamburger. The results showed that acceptance alone is not sufficient to understand the choice of a product, most likely because it does not capture the emotions involved in the consumption of a hamburger. Significant differences were found in the dynamic perception of emotions influenced by the packaging colour along time, mainly during the first "packaging - consumer" contact. Finally, the study of the dynamics of emotions provided valuable and complementary information to overall acceptance.

Reducing the sodium content without modifying the quality of beef burgers by adding micronized salt.

This study determined the effect of the incorporation of micronized salt on physicochemical, yield and consumer's sensory characteristics of beef burger. The micronized salt was obtained by sieving the commercial salt in a 60-mesh stainless steel sieve. The commercial (regular salt) and micronized salt presented differences in the mean size, size distribution and bulk density. Half of the amount of the micronized salt was mixed with pork back fat, and the other half was added to the meat batter in the beef burger manufacture. A Pivot profile method was used with consumers to describe the sensory properties of the burger samples (ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% NaCl). The Pivot profile data revealed that treatments with 0.75% and 0.5% micronized salt were mainly characterized as dry, besides showing the highest cooking loss and diameter reduction. However, beef burgers with 1.0% micronized salt and 1.5% regular salt had similar perceived salty taste. In terms of salt reduction, the results indicated that it would be possible to reduce salt from 1.5% to 1.0% when using micronized salt, without affecting the pH, color parameters, yield properties and some sensory characteristics of the burger, such as salty, tasty, juicy, fatty, and spicy. Therefore, this strategy promises great potential for industrial application in products that contain lipids in their composition, such as meat products.

Understanding consumers' dynamic sensory perception for bacon smoked with different Brazilian woods.

The aim of the present study was to obtain the dynamic sensory profile of smoked bacon using Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS). Eight samples were studied considering different smoking process: six samples were submitted to conventional smoking using different woods from reforestation and two samples were manufactured with liquid smoke. Seventy-eight regular bacon consumers evaluated the samples using the TDS methodology. TDS data were analyzed based on the sequence (bandplot by attribute and trajectory map) and dominance duration (univariate and multivariate techniques). TDS results showed differences between samples in terms of rate, trajectory and duration of dominant sensations. These differences can be mainly explained by the smoking processes used in their manufacture and by the oral work involved in the mastication task. Overall, TDS was a promising method for capturing temporal sensory changes in smoked bacon.

Relationship between volatile compounds and consumer-based sensory characteristics of bacon smoked with different Brazilian woods.

Bacon is a product made from pork meat that is subjected to curing, drying, and smoking. Researchers aim to associate the worldwide high-acceptance of such a product with the sensory and chemical properties of bacon. In this context, the objective of the present study was to characterize bacon samples smoked with different woods from reforestation using chemical and sensory methodologies, which were subsequently correlated by means of statistical multi-block analysis. Volatile compounds (VCs) of the smoked bacons were studied using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the consumer sensory perception was explored by the Napping technique. VCs were identified in smoked samples, which triggered sensory attributes related to odor, flavor, and texture, such as "smoky flavor", "salty taste", "pleasant taste", "woodsy flavor", and "hard texture". Multi-block analysis showed that the sensory attributes were associated with a group of VCs and not by a single compound.