Alternative slaughter procedures: on-farm slaughter and transport system for broilers.

This paper focuses on "alternative methods for initial broiler processing" and exploration of alternative processing including slaughter at the farm immediately after catching. On-farm slaughter and transport (FSaT) is envisioned as a mobile unit that stuns, slaughters, and shackles the broiler carcasses at the farm. A separate trailer-unit then transports the shackled broiler carcasses to the processing plant. Once at the processing plant carcasses are mechanically transferred into plant shackle lines and moved into processing. The hypothesis is that the FSaT approach will dramatically improve overall bird welfare and well-being by reducing live handling and eliminating live transport from the farm to the processing plant. In addition, ancillary impacts could include: improving yield efficiencies by eliminating dead on arrivals, potentially reducing water and energy consumption, reducing labor requirements at the processing plant with the elimination of live rehang, and offering an economically sustainable alternative. The FSaT approach represents a radical change from traditional processing, and its effects on poultry processing need to be evaluated. This paper presents results of experiments conducted at a commercial poultry processor to evaluate feather picking efficiency, carcass bacteriological loading, and meat quality for delayed processed carcasses.

[Influence of antioxidants in native and micelled forms on the shelf life of the emulsion fat product].

Emulsion fat products due to the presence of the aqueous phase are more prone to oxidative damage than pure oils and fats, which requires the use of antioxidants. Based on a social request for the use of natural antioxidants in the food industry, tocopherols, their mixtures, as well as ascorbic acid are widespread. However, most natural antioxidants (vitamins, plant extracts) have lower antioxidant activity in fats than synthetic ones and require more incorporation into the product, which can negatively affect its organoleptic properties and the cost of the finished emulsion fat product. One way to solve this problem is to use new micellized forms of antioxidants. The micellization of various types of waterand fat-soluble antioxidants can increase their specific activity, which is apparently associated with an increase in the relative interaction surface in the product. The development of emulsion fat products using new technological forms of natural antioxidants in order to increase their shelf life is relevant and practically significant for the food industry. The aim of the study was a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of natural antioxidants in native and micellized forms in the margarine formulation. Material and methods. Antioxidants (tocopherols, rosemary extract and ascorbic acid) in the native and micellized forms were selected as objects of the study for their introduction into margarine with a mass fraction of fat of 82%. Peroxide Value and p-anizidin Value were determined in dynamics during storage of margarine in its fatty phase. Results. Experimental data have been obtained on the action of the studied antioxidants in various technological forms on the formation of primary and secondary oxidation products in margarine during storage at the temperature 23±3 °Ð¡. It was determined that the introduction of micellized forms of various antioxidants into margarine at a concentration of 0.015-0.03% most effectively slows down the formation of oxidation products compared to using their native forms in an amount equivalent to the active substances. Conclusion. It has been experimentally established that the use of micellized forms of tocopherols, ascorbic acid and rosemary extract allows more efficient creation of emulsion fat products with an extended shelf life.

Analysis of the response of planar polarization interferometer to molecular layer formation: fibrinogen adsorption on silicon nitride surface.

The most sensitive optical method of interferometry was exploited for determination of changes in the refractive index following the adsorption of biological molecules onto the solid surface. Instead of having two waveguiding arms (the main and the reference) in traditional Mach-Zhender interferometer, two ortogonal TM and TE modes propagating through the SiO(2)-Si(3)N(4)-SiO(2) waveguide structure were employed in planar polarization interferometer (PPI). Multiperiodic PPI response was, therefore, formed due to the phase shift between TM and TE modes. A matrix simulation procedure was developed in order to investigate the influence of both the refractive index and molecular layer thickness on the PPI response. Nonspecifical binding of fibrinogen to silicon nitride surface was studied as a model object for PPI testing. The results obtained are in good agreement with the known information about fibrinogen adsorption on the different surfaces. An attempt to introduce the concept of 'surface molecular concentration and molecular polariziability' instead of 'molecular layer thickness and refractivity' was undertaken.