International comparisons, domestic influences and where to next? The case of Irish meat consumption.

Meat consumption internationally is driven by many common factors. While this broadly results in similar temporal trends, diversity in how these factors play out locally is evident. Drawing on secondary data sources, this paper illustrates this by comparing Irish meat consumption with other geographies. It illuminates the differential impact of significant shocks, e.g. the BSE crises, and socio-cultural factors on consumption. With increased attention on sustainability, how motivations relating to health, the environment and animal welfare will influence consumption is likely to vary across countries. Questions arise as to how strategies such as "less but better" will evolve, with available options including changing production parameters, producing meat-blended products, premiumisation and meat reduction. Given that the demand for meat stems as much from its traditional role in cultural practices as it does from satisfying individual needs, the extent to which consumer needs are being met by current offerings will change as the position held by meat in society changes.

Health Implications of Beef Intramuscular Fat Consumption.

Despite several issues in relation to human health, beef is still a most popular meat product among large section of society due to the presence of high quality protein and other nutrients. The current paper reviews numerous studies that provide nutritional profiles and health implications of high marbled beef consumption. In relation to lipid content of beef, intramuscular fat contains high level of PUFA and MUFA compared to other beef fat. Level and composition of intramuscular fat varies depending on breed and feeding regime. Literature suggests that the marbling is more complex than the development of subcutaneous fat and marbling not only provides good fatty acids but also contributes to the higher eating quality of beef. Finally, the current work emphasize that meat plays a pivotal role in nutritious diets, high quality marbled beef is not only of excellent eating quality but also contain more beneficial fatty acids.

Sustainable and consumer-friendly emerging technologies for application within the meat industry: An overview.

New and emerging robust technologies can play an important role in ensuring a more resilient meat value chain and satisfying consumer demands and needs. This paper outlines various novel thermal and non-thermal technologies which have shown potential for meat processing applications. A number of process analytical techniques which have shown potential for rapid, real-time assessment of meat quality are also discussed. The commercial uptake and consumer acceptance of novel technologies in meat processing have been subjects of great interest over the past decade. Consumer focus group studies have shown that consumer expectations and liking for novel technologies, applicable to meat processing applications, vary significantly. This overview also highlights the necessity for meat processors to address consumer risk-benefit perceptions, knowledge and trust in order to be commercially successful in the application of novel technologies within the meat sector.

The influence of breed and mh-genotype on carcass conformation, meat physico-chemical characteristics, and the fatty acid profile of muscle from yearling bulls.

The influence of breed and mh-genotype on carcass conformation, meat physico-chemical characteristics and the fatty acid profile of muscle were studied. Samples from 16 yearling bulls from "Asturiana de los Valles" (AV, n=12) and "Asturiana de la Montaña" (AM, n=4) were collected. AV animals were classified into three groups according to the presence of the gene causing double-muscling (AV double-muscled (mh/mh), n=4; AV heterozygous (mh/+), n=4; AV normal (+/+), n=4). Double-muscled animals displayed better carcass traits, lower total fat (comprised of subcutaneous (SC), intermuscular (IT) and intramuscular (IM) deposits), higher lean, moisture and drip loss, and lighter meat than AV normal animals. Heterozygous animals showed intermediate characteristics. AM animals, being a more rustic and smaller breed, showed lower conformation, higher total fat (SC, IT and IM), lower moisture and darker meat. According to the intramuscular fatty acid profile, mh/mh animals showed a lower proportion of SFA and MUFA, and a higher proportion of PUFA with an equal proportion of CLA in total fatty acid content. The P/S ratio increased with increasing number of mh alleles (or double-muscling character), while no differences between animal groups were found for the n-6/n-3 ratio.

A skeletal muscle troponin T specific ELISA based on the use of an antibody against the soluble troponin T (16-31) fragment.

Proteolytic degradation of muscle, which occurs post-mortem as part of the meat-ageing process, results in the production of protein fragments. In beef, degradation of skeletal muscle troponin T (TnT) results in the generation of a 16-residue long peptide (TnT (16-31)), identified in trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble extracts. We report the development of a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification of TnT (16-31), using polyclonal antibodies raised against synthetic TnT (16-31). The ELISA procedure is based on inhibition of binding of the antibodies to immobilised TnT (16-31) by TnT (16-31) present in solution. Its useful range is 30 pmol to 2 nmol TnT (16-31)/ml. Quantification of TnT (16-31) in TCA muscle extracts showed that its concentration was enhanced with ageing. Moreover, a correlation between TnT (16-31) levels and meat tenderness was observed. The ELISA developed herein may prove advantageous for future use at the research and industrial level.