Proximate Composition, and l-Carnitine and Betaine Contents in Meat from Korean Indigenous Chicken.

This study investigated the proximate composition and l-carnitine and betaine content of meats from 5 lines of Korean indigenous chicken (KIC) for developing highly nutritious meat breeds with health benefits from the bioactive compounds such as l-carnitine and betaine in meat. In addition, the relevance of gender (male and female) and meat type (breast and thigh meat) was examined. A total of 595 F1 progeny (black [B], grey-brown [G], red-brown [R], white [W], and yellow-brown [Y]) from 70 full-sib families were used. The moisture, protein, fat, and ash contents of the meats were significantly affected by line, gender, and meat type (p<0.05). The males in line G and females in line B showed the highest protein and the lowest fat content of the meats. l-carnitine and betaine content showed effects of meat type, line, and gender (p<0.05). The highest l-carnitine content was found in breast and thigh meats from line Y in both genders. The breast meat from line G and the thigh meat from line R had the highest betaine content in males. The female breast and thigh meats showed the highest betaine content in line R. These data could be valuable for establishing selection strategies for developing highly nutritious chicken meat breeds in Korea.

Changes in endogenous bioactive compounds of Korean native chicken meat at different ages and during cooking.

This study aimed to examine the effect of bird age on the contents of endogenous bioactive compounds, including carnosine, anserine, creatine, betaine, and carnitine, in meat from a certified meat-type commercial Korean native chicken strain (KNC; Woorimatdag). Additionally, the effects of the meat type (breast or leg meat) and the state of the meat (raw or cooked) were examined. Cocks of KNC were raised under similar standard commercial conditions at a commercial chicken farm. At various ages (10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 wk), breast and leg meats from a total of 10 birds from each age group were obtained. Raw and cooked meat samples were then prepared separately and analyzed for bioactive compounds. The age of the KNC had a significant effect only on the betaine content. The breast meat of KNC had higher amounts of carnosine and anserine but had lower amounts of betaine and carnitine than the leg meat (P < 0.05). The KNC meat lost significant amounts of all bioactive compounds during cooking (P < 0.05). Leg meat had high retention percentages of carnosine and anserine after cooking, whereas breast meat showed almost complete retention of betaine and carnitine. The results of this study provide useful and rare information regarding the presence, amounts, and determinants of endogenous bioactive compounds in KNC meat, which can be useful for selection and breeding programs, and also for popularizing indigenous chicken meat.

Carnosine, anserine, creatine, and inosine 5'-monophosphate contents in breast and thigh meats from 5 lines of Korean native chicken.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of chicken line on the contents of endogenous compounds, including carnosine, anserine, creatine, and inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP), in breast and thigh meats from 5 lines of Korean native chicken for the development of high-quality meat breeds. Additionally, the effects of sex (male or female) and meat type (breast or thigh meat) were examined. In total, 595 F1 progeny [black: 90 (male: 45, female: 45); gray-brown: 110 (male: 52, female: 58); red-brown: 136 (male: 68, female: 68); white: 126 (male: 63, female: 63); and yellow-brown: 133 (male: 62, female: 71)] from 70 full-sib families were used. The male chicken from the red-brown line and the female chicken from the black line showed the highest BW among the 5 lines. Carnosine content was higher in female chicken and breast meat than in male chicken and thigh meat, respectively. Breast meat contained higher anserine content compared with thigh meat. The sex effect on anserine was not consistent between breast and thigh meat. Creatine content was not consistently influenced by sex between breast and thigh meat, and no meat type effect was observed. The IMP contents were higher in female chicken and breast meat compared with male chicken and thigh meat, respectively. In addition, we clearly observed line effects by the comparison of the contents of carnosine, anserine, creatine, and IMP for each meat type according to each sex. These data are useful for selection and development of high-quality, meat-type chicken breeds.

Synergistic Effects of Electron-beam Irradiation and Leek Extract on the Quality of Pork Jerky during Ambient Storage.

To investigate the synergistic effect(s) of electron-beam (EB) irradiation and leek (Allium tuberosum Rottler) extract on the quality of pork jerky during ambient storage, we irradiated prepared pork jerky samples (control and samples with 0.5% and 1.0% leek extract) with EB technology at doses of 0, 1, 2, and 4 kGy, stored them for 2 months at 25°C, and analyzed them. Water activity was 0.73 to 0.77 in non-irradiated samples, and no significant difference in the water activity was observed between the samples treated with leek and the control. The total aerobic bacterial count was significantly decreased with an increase in the irradiation dose and leek extract addition when compared to that of the control (4.54±0.05 log CFU/g). Further, the Hunter color values (L*, a*, and b*) were found to be significantly decreased following leek extract addition and EB irradiation. However, the color values, especially the a* value of the irradiated samples significantly increased during storage. Notably, increasing the EB irradiation dose enhanced the peroxide value. Sensory evaluation revealed that irradiation decreased flavor and overall acceptability. Our findings suggest the use of EB irradiation in combination with leek extract to improve the microbiological safety of pork jerky. However, in order to meet market requirements, novel methods to enhance the sensory quality of pork jerky are warranted.

Comparison of quality traits of meat from korean native chickens and broilers used in two different traditional korean cuisines.

With the aim of investigating the differences in the quality traits between Korean native chicken (Hanhyup, KNC) and broilers commonly used in two different traditional Korean cuisines, the chemical composition and sensory properties of breast and thigh meat from the two chicken strains were assessed. KNC for baeksuk (chicken meat braised in soup with various Oriental medicinal plants; KNL), KNC for samgyetang (similar to baeksuk but young chickens and ginseng are used; KNS), broiler for baeksuk (BL), and broiler for samgyetang (BS) were used as treatments in this study. KNL and KNS contained higher protein but lower fat content than BL and BS. The L* values of breast and thigh meat, but not the a* values, were significantly different between KNS and BS, whereas significant differences in both values were observed between KNL and BL. Compared to the other three types of chickens, KNS contained the highest total and insoluble collagen content, and KNL and BL showed higher inosine-5'-monophosphate content in their meat. Overall, KNL and KNS contributed darker, less tender meat with higher protein and less fat content together with more n-3 fatty acids, as opposed to their counterparts used for the same cuisines. Based on the results of the sensory analysis, even though there are some differences in physiochemical traits, different chicken sources do not differ in overall sensory quality. This information can help consumers to understand better the meat available for their preferred traditional cuisines.

Effects of combined treatments of electron-beam irradiation and addition of leek (Allium tuberosum) extract on reduction of pathogens in pork jerky.

This study investigated the combined effect of electron-beam irradiation and addition of leek (Allium tuberosum R.) extract on pork jerky inoculated with selected foodborne pathogens. Prepared pork jerky samples (control and samples with 1.0% leek extract) were inoculated with pathogens and subsequently irradiated at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 kGy doses. In comparison with the control, samples with 1.0% leek extract showed significant reduction in the numbers of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium. No viable counts were detected for Salmonella Typhimurium in both control and leek-extract samples, and for E. coli and L. monocytogenes in the leek-extract sample exposed to 3 kGy irradiation dose. The D(10) values for E. coli, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium observed in the irradiated samples with leek extract were 0.39, 0.34, and 0.32 kGy, while the D(10) values in those without leek extract were 0.65, 0.65, and 0.39 kGy, respectively. Therefore, our results clearly showed that irradiation combined with leek extract was effective in reducing pathogens, suggesting that a low dose of irradiation combined with the addition of a natural antimicrobial agent can enhance the microbial safety and shelf-life of pork jerky.

Differentiation of Deboned Fresh Chicken Thigh Meat from the Frozen-Thawed One Processed with Different Deboning Conditions.

This study was performed to evaluate the quality characteristics of three deboned categories of chicken thigh meat: one which was slaughtered and deboned in the same plant (fresh); one which was slaughtered, deboned, frozen, and thawed in the same plant (frozen-thawed); and the last which was slaughtered in a plant, deboned in a different plant, but then transferred to the original plant (fresh-outside). Surface color, drip loss, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, sensory evaluation, and total aerobic bacterial counts of the chicken samples were determined. Moreover, the torrymeter was used to measure the differences in freshness of the chicken meat. The surface color and the TBARS values did not show significant differences among the three categories. However, the total aerobic bacterial counts of fresh-outside and frozen-thawed chicken meat were significantly higher than the fresh chicken meat on the first storage day, and the drip loss of frozen-thawed chicken meat was significantly higher than the fresh-outside and fresh chicken meat. In addition, the sensory evaluation of frozen-thawed chicken meat was significantly lower than the fresh-outside and fresh chicken meat. Torrymeter values were higher in fresh chicken meat than fresh-outside and frozen-thawed chicken meat during the storage period. These results indicate that the quality of frozen-thawed chicken meat is comparatively lower than the fresh chicken meat, and the torrymeter values can accurately differentiate the fresh-outside and frozen-thawed chicken meat from the fresh ones.

Stapling technique for performing Billroth II anastomosis after distal gastrectomy.

The circular stapling technique has been widely applied for gastrointestinal anastomosis in gastrectomies (open or laparoscopic) for distal gastric cancers. We describe this method for use in performing Billroth II anastomosis in distal gastrectomies. From 2002-2009, we report the results following the use of the circular stapling technique performed in 520 patients at a single institution. The median time of completing the anastomosis was shorter using the stapling technique compared to the hand-sewn technique. The use of the stapler resulted in two cases of minor intraluminal bleeding at the anastomotic site. The circular stapling method can be applied safely and more efficiently in performing Billroth II reconstruction after distal gastrectomy compared to the hand-sewn method in patients with gastric cancer.

Frequency and predictive factors of lymph node metastasis in mucosal cancer.

PURPOSE: The incidence of lymph node metastasis has been reported to range from 2.6 to 4.8% in early stage gastric cancer with mucosal invasion (T1a cancer). Lymph node metastasis in early stage gastric cancer is known as an important predictive factor. We analyzed the prediction factors of lymph node metastasis in T1a cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 9,912 patients underwent radical gastrectomy due to gastric cancer from October 1994 to July 2006 in the Department Of Surgery at Samsung Medical Center. We did a retrospective analysis of 2,524 patients of these patients, ones for whom the cancer was confined within the mucosa. RESULTS: Among the 2,524 patients, 57 (2.2%) were diagnosed with lymph node metastasis, and of these, cancer staging was as follows: 41 were N1, 8 were N2, and 8 were N3a. Univariate analysis of clinicopathological factors showed that the following factors were significant predictors of metastasis: tumor size larger than 4 cm, the presence of middle and lower stomach cancer, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and signet-ring cell carcinoma, diffuse type cancer (by the Lauren classification), and lymphatic invasion. Multivariate analysis showed that lymphatic invasion and tumor larger than 4 cm were significant factors with P<0.001 and P=0.024, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of lymph node metastasis is extremely low in early gastric cancer with mucosal invasion. However, when lymphatic invasion is present or the tumor is larger than 4 cm, there is a greater likelihood of lymph node metastasis. In such cases, surgical treatments should be done to prevent disease recurrence.