Recent Advances in Dromedary Camels and Their Products.

Dromedary camels or, more specifically, one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius), are described as having a high productive potential, and for centuries, they have been used by people (namely nomads) in arid and hot regions as multipurpose animals for physical labor, transport, the production of milk, meat, wool, hair, and skin, and for racing and tourism [...].

Nanotechnology as a Processing and Packaging Tool to Improve Meat Quality and Safety.

Nanoparticles are gaining momentum as a smart tool towards a safer, more cost-effective and sustainable food chain. This study aimed to provide an overview of the potential uses, preparation, properties, and applications of nanoparticles to process and preserve fresh meat and processed meat products. Nanoparticles can be used to reinforce the packaging material resulting in the improvement of sensory, functional, and nutritional aspects of meat and processed meat products. Further, these particles can be used in smart packaging as biosensors to extend the shelf-life of fresh and processed meat products and also to monitor the final quality of these products during the storage period. Nanoparticles are included in product formulation as carriers of health-beneficial and/or functional ingredients. They showed great efficiency in encapsulating bioactive ingredients and preserving their properties to ensure their functionality (e.g., antioxidant and antimicrobial) in meat products. As a result, nanoparticles can efficiently contribute to ensuring product safety and quality whilst reducing wastage and costs. Nevertheless, a wider implementation of nanotechnology in meat industry is highly related to its economic value, consumers' acceptance, and the regulatory framework. Being a novel technology, concerns over the toxicity of nanoparticles are still controversial and therefore efficient analytical tools are deemed crucial for the identification and quantification of nanocomponents in meat products. Thus, migration studies about nanoparticles from the packaging into meat and meat products are still a concern as it has implications for human health associated with their toxicity. Moreover, focused economic evaluations for implementing nanoparticles in meat packaging are crucial since the current literature is still scarce and targeted studies are needed before further industrial applications.

Influence of Three Probiotics Strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB-12 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 on the Biochemical and Haematological Profiles and Body Weight of Healthy Rabbits.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of three strains of probiotics, these being Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB-12 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745, on the body weight, animal performances and blood parameters of rabbits (male and female) of the ITELV2006 strain. The supplementation of the feed of the rabbits with the three probiotic strains allowed observing positive effects on most of the biochemical and haematological parameters investigated during a period of 60 days (30 days of supplementation and 30 days without treatment). Further, there was a significant improvement in the body weight of the rabbits at the end of the experiment. The effect of the three probiotics investigated in this trial was found to be related to the sex of the rabbits and to the intake period (duration). Ultimately, these findings raise the possibility of using probiotics to investigate in an in-depth and specific manner based on fixed factors such as the strain, the gender and age of the animals, the main underlying mechanisms and effects, which would allow achieving optimal and adapted health benefits and sustainable production. In the context of animal production, it is worth investigating in a targeted study the effect of the three strains on muscle growth and development and finding evidence of the possible consequences on meat quality traits of the rabbits supplemented with probiotics.

Study of Probiotic Effects of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and Lactobacillus plantarum 299v Strains on Biochemical and Morphometric Parameters of Rabbits after Obesity Induction.

This study aimed first to develop an experimental model of obesity and metabolic syndrome over 14 weeks using a diet called "cafeteria", which is a high-fat diet, to evaluate its consequences on the biochemical and morphometric parameters in ITELV2006 strain rabbits. Second, the trial aimed to evaluate the effect of two strains of probiotics, these being Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12® and Lactobacillus plantarum 299v®, on the obesity and MetS induced during the first experiment. Overall, the results of the "cafeteria" diet demonstrated significant changes in numerous biochemical and morphometric parameters, reproducing obesity and the main clinical manifestations of the metabolic syndrome in humans. The administration of the two probiotic strains demonstrated an impact on certain parameters of obesity and induced MetS. This study makes it possible to conclude that probiotics could be useful in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome of rabbits, but in a dependent manner. Furthermore, this study evidenced the importance of selecting specific probiotic strains and dosages to achieve desirable results on rabbits or other species.

One-step recovery of latex papain from Carica papaya using three phase partitioning and its use as milk-clotting and meat-tenderizing agent.

Three Phase Partitioning (TPP) system as an elegant non-chromatographic and bulk separation method was successfully applied for the extraction and recovery of papain from the latex of Carica papaya. The optimized parameters of TPP allowed achieving a purification fold of 11.45 and activity recovery of 134% with 40% (NH4)2SO4, 1.0:0.75 ratio of crude extract: t-BuOH at pH and temperature of 6.0 and 25 °C, respectively. The recovered papain had a molecular weight of 23.2 kDa and revealed maximum activity at pH 6.0 and temperature of 50 °C. The maximum values of Km and Vmax parameters were 10.83 mg mL-1 and 33.33 U mL-1, respectively. The protease with 4 isoforms was stable at 40-80 °C and a pH range of 6.0-7.5 against numerous metal ions and none of them inactivated the recovered protease. Moreover, 10 mM Ca2+ improved 2-folds the activity and half-life of the protease at temperatures from 30 to 50 °C. The milk-clotting activity tests revealed high stability of latex papain at storage, namely at -20 °C compared to 4 °C and 25 °C for up than 5 weeks. As a meat tenderizing agent, it showed promising role under different treatments by improving the texture of tough meat. The findings indicated that one-step TPP system is a simple, quick, economical and very attractive process for fast recovery of latex papain compared to other proposed protocols.