Effects of Astragalus membranaceus, Adenophora triphylla, and Ulmus pumila Extracts on Quality Characteristics and Storage Stability of Sous-Vide Cooked Chicken Breasts.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of Astragalus membranaceus (AM), Adenophora triphylla (AT), and Ulmus pumila (UP) extracts on the quality traits, palatability, and storage stability of sous-vide (SV) cooked chicken breasts. Chicken breasts were marinated in AM, AT, or UP extracts for 1 h, and then consistently cooked at a constant temperature of 60°C for 2 h. SV cooked chicken breasts with the UP extract exhibited lower lightness and higher yellowness values on the surface region compared to those with the AM and AT extracts (p<0.05). The control and UP groups displayed a similar overall visual acceptability (p>0.05), although the UP group had lower color acceptability (p<0.01). The UP group also had higher flavor and lower off-flavor intensities compared to the control group (p<0.05), although similar scores were observed in tenderness attributes and juiciness among the groups (p>0.05). Owing to these results regarding overall sensory acceptability, samples from the UP group were more preferred by the trained panelists compared to samples from the control group (p<0.001). On 14 d of cold storage, all the groups with herbal medicinal extracts exhibited a lower concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances than the control group (p<0.05), and the AT and UP groups showed lower values compared to the AM group due to their higher flavonoid contents (p<0.001). Therefore, meat marination with herbal plant extracts before SV cooking can be effective for enhancing the overall quality of SV cooked chicken breast.

Comparison of Quality Characteristics and Palatability between Sous-Vide Cooked Pork Loin Patties with Different Searing Treatments.

This study compared the quality, cooking, textural, and palatability characteristics between sous-vide (SV) cooked pork loin patties with different searing treatments (ST). Before SV cooking, STs were conducted on each side of the pork loin patties for 0 (control) to 120 s (ST120), and all patties were then cooked using an SV cooker at 75°C for 120 min. Noticeable differences were observed in quality properties between the groups. The seared SV loin patties exhibited lower lightness and higher browning index values compared to the unseared SV loin patties (p<0.001). Cooking loss gradually increased with increasing ST times, and the control group had a lower percentage compared to the ST60 group (19.5 vs. 25.7%, p<0.001). Changes in cooking properties were associated with the extent of ST, and the ST groups exhibited a higher hardness value compared to the control group (p<0.001). Regarding palatability, loin patties from the control group scored lower in appearance acceptability compared to patties from the ST groups (p<0.05) due to extent of browning on the surface. Moreover, the ST groups did exhibit a higher flavor intensity compared to the control group, but no differences were observed in tenderness and juiciness scores between the control and ST60 groups. Due to these results, the ST60 group exhibited a greater score in overall acceptability compared to the other groups except for the ST90 group. Therefore, an additional ST before SV cooking can achieve a more appealing appearance and palatability as well as to enhance the availability of pork loin.

The quality characteristics, antioxidant activity, and sensory evaluation of reduced-fat yogurt and nonfat yogurt supplemented with basil seed gum as a fat substitute.

This study investigated the use of basil seed gum (BSG) as a fat substitute on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of yogurt. A 0.5 and 1% BSG solution was supplemented to reduced-fat and nonfat yogurts, and their physicochemical properties, quality properties, antioxidant activity, and sensory evaluation were compared with each control group. We prepared 3 yogurts as controls and 4 yogurt samples containing BSG as follows: FFY (yogurt made from full-fat milk: a control group), LFY (yogurt made from reduced-fat milk: a control group), SY (yogurt made from nonfat milk: a control group), LFY 0.5% (0.5% BSG added to reduced-fat yogurt), LFY 1.0% (1.0% BSG added to reduced-fat yogurt), SY 0.5% (0.5% BSG added to nonfat yogurt), and SY 1.0% (1.0% BSG added to nonfat yogurt). The pH of LFY 0.5% and LFY 1.0% was decreased compared with LFY control, whereas pH of SY 0.5% and SY 1.0% had no significant difference. The titratable acidity showed no significant increase. The viscosity was the highest in FFY among the control groups and increased with the concentration of BSG in the SY group. The L-value (brightness) and b-value (yellowness) were the highest in FFY at 85.05 among the control groups. The L-value and b-value of LFY 0.5% and SY 0.5% showed higher values than LFY 1% and SY 1%. The a-value (redness) was the highest in SY 0.5% at -2.36, and ΔE (total color difference) was the highest in SY 1% at 7.33. The moisture content of SY was the highest among the control groups and addition of 1% BSG to SY was highest among the BSG-added group. Total contents of phenol and flavonoid slightly increased as the concentration of BSG increased (increase in the contents of phenol and flavonoid). The results of ferric reducing antioxidant power were similar to the findings of phenol and flavonoid content (an increase as the concentration of BSG increased). The overall acceptability of sensory characteristics was improved in all groups of samples when BSG 1% concentration increased. Application of BSG for the production of nonfat yogurt can enhance physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, and sensory characteristics of reduced-fat and nonfat yogurt. Addition of BSG to reduced-fat and nonfat yogurt can improve their physical and antioxidant properties to the level of FFY.