Multivariate Nature of Fish Freshness Evaluation by Consumers.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensory acceptability limit of refrigerated fish through a multivariate approach, involving classic physicochemical and bacteriological indicators and considering different consumer profiles. The results of the survival analysis demonstrated that, in general, consumers still considered the fish to be suitable for purchase (4.128 days of storage), despite being microbiologically unsuitable for consumption. However, the subsequent division of consumers into clusters indicated that women and individuals with high income and education levels tend to reject fish with few days of storage (3.650 days), mainly due to discoloration, despite still being microbiologically suitable for consumption. Thus, these segments present a safer behavior regarding the purchase of fresh fish. The influence of different frequencies of fish consumption and age of consumers on the assessment of fish freshness was not clarified. The responsibility for ensuring safe and healthy products at the point of sale must lie with the producers and distributors. However, improving consumers' ability to make good choices when buying fresh fish would bring social and economic benefits related to public health and to the seafood industry, because it would enable them to make relevant claims and demand their rights.

Muscle-specific color stability in fresh beef from grain-finished Bos indicus cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the color and oxidative stabilities of longissimus lumborum (LL) and psoas major (PM) muscles from grain-finished Bos indicus cattle in Brazil. METHODS: The LL and PM muscles were obtained 24 h post-mortem from eight (n = 8) Nellore bull carcasses, fabricated into 1.5-cm steaks, aerobically packaged, and stored at 4°C for nine days. Steaks were analyzed for myoglobin concentration, pH, instrumental color, metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA) and lipid oxidation. RESULTS: The LL steaks exhibited greater (p<0.05) redness, color stability, and MRA than their PM counterparts on days 5 and 9. The LL and PM steaks demonstrated similar (p>0.05) lightness and yellowness on days 0, 5, and 9. On the other hand, PM steaks exhibited greater (p<0.05) myoglobin concentration, pH, and lipid oxidation than their LL counterparts. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that muscle source influenced the color and oxidative stabilities of beef from grain-finished Bos indicus animals. These results highlighted the necessity of muscle-specific strategies to improve the color stability of beef from grain-fed Bos indicus cattle.

Nasal vs Oronasal CPAP for OSA Treatment: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nasal CPAP is the "gold standard" treatment for OSA. However, oronasal masks are frequently used in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of all randomized and nonrandomized trials that compared nasal vs oronasal masks on CPAP level, residual apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and CPAP adherence to treat OSA. METHODS: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies in any language with the following terms: "sleep apnea" and "CPAP" or "sleep apnea" and "oronasal mask" or "OSA" and "oronasal CPAP" or "oronasal mask" and "adherence." Studies on CPAP treatment for OSA were included, based on the following criteria: (1) original article; (2) randomized or nonrandomized trials; and (3) comparison between nasal and oronasal CPAP including pressure level, and/or residual AHI, and/or CPAP adherence. RESULTS: We identified five randomized and eight nonrandomized trials (4,563 patients) that reported CPAP level and/or residual AHI and/or CPAP adherence. Overall, the random-effects meta-analysis revealed that as compared with nasal, oronasal masks were associated with a significantly higher CPAP level (Hedges' g, -0.59; 95% CI, -0.82 to -0.37; P < .001) (on average, +1.5 cm H2O), higher residual AHI (Hedges' g, -0.34; 95% CI, -0.52 to -0.17; P < .001) (+2.8 events/h), and a poorer adherence (Hedges' g, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.21-0.79; P = .001) (-48 min/night). CONCLUSIONS: Oronasal masks are associated with a higher CPAP level, higher residual AHI, and poorer adherence than nasal masks. TRIAL REGISTRY: PROSPERO database; No.: CRD42017064584; URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/.

Impact of UV-C Light on the Fatty Acid Profile and Oxidative Stability of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Fillets.

The influence of different ultraviolet (UV-C) doses (0.103 and 0.305 J/cm2 ) was investigated by instrumental color parameters, pH, lipid, and protein oxidations, fatty acids (FA) composition and biogenic amines (BAs) in Nile tilapia fillets during 11 d at 4 ± 1 °C. The UV-C treatment increased (P < 0.05) a* values and protein oxidation in a dose-dependent manner, and delayed (P < 0.05) the formation of BAs over the course of the storage period. L* values and lipid oxidation were not influenced (P > 0.05) by UV-C light. Fillets treated with a low UV-C dose exhibited greater (P < 0.05) total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) than their untreated counterparts. Therefore, a low UV-C dose can be recommended in tilapia fillets as an alternative processing method to control pH and BAs, as well as improve the total PUFA amount and overall nutritional quality.

Color attributes and oxidative stability of longissimus lumborum and psoas major muscles from Nellore bulls.

The influence of muscle source on color stability of fresh beef from purebred Bos indicus cattle was investigated. Longissimus lumborum (LL) and psoas major (PM) muscles obtained from twelve (n=12) Nellore bull carcasses (24h post-mortem) were fabricated into 2.54-cm steaks, aerobically packaged, and stored at 4°C for nine days. Steaks were analyzed on day 0 for proximate composition and myoglobin concentration, whereas pH, instrumental color, metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA), lipid oxidation, and protein oxidation were evaluated on days 0, 3, 6, and 9. LL steaks exhibited greater (P<0.05) redness, color stability, and MRA than PM counterparts. On the other hand, PM steaks demonstrated greater (P<0.05) myoglobin content, lipid oxidation, and protein oxidation than LL steaks. These results indicated the critical influence of muscle source on discoloration of fresh beef from Bos indicus animals and suggested the necessity to engineer muscle-specific strategies to improve color stability and marketability of beef from Bos indicus cattle.