Physicochemical Parameters of Raw Pet Food and Dehydrated Pet Treats Developed from Beef Processing Co-Products.

Pet humanization and premiumization of pet foods have led to significant changes in the co-product market, as pet food companies are looking for more profitable protein sources for their products. Co-products such as beef liver (BL) and beef heart (BH) can be combined to generate restructured pet foods rich in vitamins and nutrients. Sodium alginate and encapsulated calcium lactate (ALGIN) can improve the acceptability of meat pieces by transforming them into a singular shape. The objective of this experiment was to assess the physiochemical parameters of co-products for utilization in raw pet foods and restructured pet treats generated from BL and BH by using ALGIN as a structure-forming agent. Results demonstrated increased cooking loss as ALGIN inclusion decreased, but cooking loss decreased as BL proportions increased (p = 0.0056). Expressible moisture of raw pet food decreased as ALGIN inclusion increased, but more moisture was released from treats when BL proportions increased (p < 0.0001). Increasing ALGIN and BH led to increased water activity of cooked treats (p < 0.0001). Thus, we suggest that BL and BH combinations with ALGIN inclusion produces a viable platform for higher inclusions of co-products in pet treats. Additionally, these ingredients improved the finished product quality characteristics of raw pet foods.

Classification and Feature Extraction Using Supervised and Unsupervised Machine Learning Approach for Broiler Woody Breast Myopathy Detection.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was established to quantify diverse cellular characteristics. This technique has been widely used in various species, such as fish, poultry, and humans for compositional analysis. This technology was limited to offline quality assurance/detection of woody breast (WB); however, inline technology that can be retrofitted on the conveyor belt would be more helpful to processors. Freshly deboned (n = 80) chicken breast fillets were collected from a local processor and analyzed by hand-palpation for different WB severity levels. Data collected from both BIA setups were subjected to supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms. The modified BIA showed better detection ability for regular fillets than the probe BIA setup. In the plate BIA setup, fillets were 80.00% for normal, 66.67% for moderate (data for mild and moderate merged), and 85.00% for severe WB. However, hand-held BIA showed 77.78, 85.71, and 88.89% for normal, moderate, and severe WB, respectively. Plate BIA setup is more effective in detecting WB myopathies and could be installed without slowing the processing line. Breast fillet detection on the processing line can be significantly improved using a modified automated plate BIA.

Acceptability of Artificial Intelligence in Poultry Processing and Classification Efficiencies of Different Classification Models in the Categorisation of Breast Fillet Myopathies.

Breast meat from modern fast-growing big birds is affected with myopathies such as woody breast (WB), white striping, and spaghetti meat (SM). The detection and separation of the myopathy-affected meat can be carried out at processing plants using technologies such as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). However, BIA raw data from myopathy-affected breast meat are extremely complicated, especially because of the overlap of these myopathies in individual breast fillets and the human error associated with the assignment of fillet categories. Previous research has shown that traditional statistical techniques such as ANOVA and regression, among others, are insufficient in categorising fillets affected with myopathies by BIA. Therefore, more complex data analysis tools can be used, such as support vector machines (SVMs) and backpropagation neural networks (BPNNs), to classify raw poultry breast myopathies using their BIA patterns, such that the technology can be beneficial for the poultry industry in detecting myopathies. Freshly deboned (3-3.5 h post slaughter) breast fillets (n = 100 × 3 flocks) were analysed by hand palpation for WB (0-normal; 1-mild; 2-moderate; 3-Severe) and SM (presence and absence) categorisation. BIA data (resistance and reactance) were collected on each breast fillet; the algorithm of the equipment calculated protein and fat index. The data were analysed by linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and with SVM and BPNN with 70::30: training::test data set. Compared with the LDA analysis, SVM separated WB with a higher accuracy of 71.04% for normal (data for normal and mild merged), 59.99% for moderate, and 81.48% for severe WB. Compared with SVM, the BPNN training model accurately (100%) separated normal WB fillets with and without SM, demonstrating the ability of BIA to detect SM. Supervised learning algorithms, such as SVM and BPNN, can be combined with BIA and successfully implemented in poultry processing to detect breast fillet myopathies.

Effect of Pre-Blended Phosphates on the Freezing Quality Characteristics of Ground Woody Breast Meat Compared to Normal Meat.

Woody breast (WB) myopathy affected meat has a tough texture, higher cook loss, and decreased water holding capacity (WHC), and thus lower consumer acceptability. The WB meat can be ground and further converted into further processed products or frozen, stored, and shipped to further processors. Freezing and thawing of ground WB meat may further affect the quality of WB meat products. Hence, research is required to determine the effect of pre-blended phosphates on the quality of ground WB meat as well as its cryoprotective effect during frozen storage. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of pre-blended phosphate levels on meat quality in WB and normal breast (NB) fillets before and after freezing. NB fillets and severely affected WB fillets were procured from a local commercial processor. The meat was separated into various treatment groups according to the sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) inclusion levels (0, 0.25, and 0.5% w/w). The meat was ground with respective phosphate treatments and subdivided into vacuum-sealed bags (n = 240; 1 kg each). Half of the bags (n = 120) from each treatment were taken for meat quality analysis, while the other bags were placed in a freezer (-18 °C) for 6 days. Fresh samples were analyzed within 6-8 h while the frozen samples were thawed for 18 h at 4°C prior to analysis. Samples (n = 10) were analyzed for gel strength, pH, color (L* a* b*), proximate composition, and randomly selected samples (n = 5) were analyzed for aerobic plate count (APC). Experiments were repeated in two separate replications and the data was analyzed using the Proc Glimmix model procedure in SAS (v. 9.4) (Cary, NC, USA) with LSMeans Separation at p ≤ 0.05. The gel strength (g) of the fresh ground NB meat (883.7 g) was higher than the gel strength of woody meat (720.8 g) with 0% phosphate (p ≤ 0.05). Addition of phosphate (0.25 and 0.5%) significantly increased the gel strength of fresh woody meat but it was significantly lower than NB meat added with 0.25 and 0.5% phosphate treatment. After freezing, ground NB meat samples with 0.25 and 0.5% phosphate had higher gel strength compared to fresh and frozen ground WB meat (p ≤ 0.05). Pre-blended STPP raised the pH in all treatments (p < 0.05). Treatments did not have any clear impact on APC of ground WB or NB meat. Addition of pre-blended sodium tripolyphosphate increases the functionality of fresh and frozen ground WB meat, as well as NB meat.

Investigating the effects of Functional Ice (FICE) on Salmonella-food safety, microbial spoilage and quality of raw poultry thigh meat during refrigerated storage.

In meat processing, antimicrobial treatment applied during slaughter and deboning may not control pathogens and spoilage organisms during subsequent transportation and storage. "Functional Ice" (FICE), an innovation over traditional ice, was investigated for its effects on food safety, shelf life, and quality of raw poultry thigh meat during refrigerated storage. FICE was prepared by freezing aqueous solutions of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) (2.5% and 5% w/v) and sodium lactate-sodium diacetate (SL-SD) (1% and 2.5% v/v). Potable water was used to prepare ice for the control treatment. Thigh meat inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium (108 CFU/sample) was placed in FICE treatments, stored at 4 °C and sampled at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h (n = 375). Weight pick-up was recorded for the uninoculated thighs. Additionally, shelf life and quality were evaluated for 8 days on tray-packed thighs that were stored in FICE treatments for 48 h (STPP 5%, and SL-SD 2.5%). Differences among treatments were determined using ANOVA with LSMeans (p ≤ 0.05). Results indicated that inoculated thighs stored in individual STPP 5%, and SL-SD 2.5% treatments lead to a significant reduction in Salmonella Typhimurium compared to the control (p ≤ 0.05) after 48 h of storage. FICE treated thighs showed higher yields, lower cook loss, and an extended shelf life of 1-2 days, without any color changes. FICE has the potential to improve food safety and shelf life while improving the yields and quality during storage and transportation of raw poultry meat.

Effectiveness of Several Antimicrobials Used in a Postchill Decontamination Tank against Salmonella and Campylobacter on Broiler Carcass Parts.

New microbial performance standards for chicken parts necessitate postchill antimicrobial interventions to make poultry parts safer for consumers. This research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of antimicrobials (0.003% chlorine; 0.07% acidified sodium chlorite [ASC], 0.07 or 0.1% peracetic acid [PAA], and 0.35 or 0.60% cetylpyridinium chloride [CPC]) when used in a postchill decontamination tank to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter on broiler chicken parts (including breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks) and to determine the sensory attributes of the treated samples. Samples ( n = 90, 9 treatments × 5 samples × 2 replications) were inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium (108 CFU/mL) and Campylobacter jejuni (108 CFU/mL). After a 30-min attachment time, chicken parts were rinsed with various antimicrobials in a decontamination tank for 23 s. Salmonella and Campylobacter reduction was determined by sampling parts after the treatments were applied. Sensory evaluation of skin-on (drumettes) and skin-off (breast meat) parts were conducted by untrained panelists by using an 8-point hedonic scale. CPC (0.35 or 0.60%), provided a reduction of 2.5 or 3.5 log CFU/mL on Salmonella and a reduction of 4 or 5 log CFU/mL on Campylobacter, respectively. Both concentrations of PAA (0.07 or 0.1%) provided a 1.5-log reduction on Salmonella and Campylobacter. Chlorine at 0.003% and ASC at 0.07% were the least effective antimicrobials, providing <1-log reduction for both pathogens, which did not differ from the reduction provided by a water rinse alone. Sensory attributes were unaffected in drumettes, and skinless breast fillets received the most acceptable scores ( P ≤ 0.05) for texture, juiciness, and overall acceptability when treated with 0.07% PAA and 0.35% CPC. Results from this study indicated that using PAA and CPC in a postchill decontamination tank are effective treatments for reducing Salmonella and Campylobacter on chicken parts, with minimal effects on product quality.