Marinades Based on Natural Ingredients as a Way to Improve the Quality and Shelf Life of Meat: A Review.

Marinating is a traditional method of improving the quality of meat, but it has been modified in response to consumer demand for "clean label" products. The aim of this review is to present scientific literature on the natural ingredients contained in marinades, the parameters of the marinating process, and certain mechanisms that bring about changes in meat. A review was carried out of publications from 2000 to 2023 available in Web of Science on the natural ingredients of meat marinades: fruit and vegetables, seasonings, fermented dairy products, wine, and beer. The review showed that natural marinades improve the sensory quality of meat and its culinary properties; they also extend its shelf life. They affect the safety of meat products by limiting the oxidation of fats and proteins. They also reduce biogenic amines and the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is possible due to the presence of biologically active substances and competitive microflora from dairy products. However, some marinades, especially those that are acidic, cause a slightly acidic flavour and an unfavourable colour change. Natural compounds in the ingredients of marinades are accepted by consumers. There are no results in the literature on the impact of natural marinades on the nutritional value and health-promoting potential of meat products, so it can be assumed that this is a future direction for scientific research.

Effect of Marinating in Dairy-Fermented Products and Sous-Vide Cooking on the Protein Profile and Sensory Quality of Pork Longissimus Muscle.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of marinating (3 or 6 days) in kefir (KE), yogurt (YO) and buttermilk (BM) and sous-vide cooking (SV) at 60 or 80 °C on changes in the protein profile of pork in relation to its sensory quality. In the marinated raw meat, an increased share of some fractions of myofibrillar and cytoskeletal proteins and calpains were found. The greatest degradation of proteins, regardless of time, was caused by marinating in YO and KE and cooking SV at 80 °C. The lowest processing losses were in samples marinated in KE and YO and cooked SV at 60 °C, with marinating time having no significant effect. The odor, flavor, tenderness and juiciness of meat marinated in BM was better than in KE and YO. Meat marinated and cooked SV at 60 °C was rated better by the panelists. Changes in proteins significantly affect the formation of meat texture, tenderness and juiciness, which confirms the correlations. This is also reflected in the sensory evaluation. During the process of marinating and cooking meat, protein degradation should be taken into account, which can be a good tool for shaping the sensory quality of cooked pork.

Application of New Sources of Bioactive Substances (Perilla frutescens L. and Tagetes erecta L.) in the Chosen Cookies Production.

Today, one of the most important challenges of ensuring the society's health is the prevention of civilization diseases. Most of them are associated with an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals in the human body. Due to the need to increase the intake of antioxidants, opportunities are being studied to increase their consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of plant extracts of marigold (Tagetes erecta spp.) (MEx) and perilla (Perilla frutescens L.) (PEx) on selected qualitative properties of muffins. We studied the effects of the extracts in amounts of 1% (1), 3% (3), and 5% (5) on selected muffin characteristics, i.e., crust and crumb color, cooking yield, specific volume, and water activity, and changes in textural properties as well as sensory acceptance analysis. The level of crust lightness (L*) of muffins was lower than that of the control sample only for the samples with the PEx. For the crumb, the muffins with MEx and PEx were darker than the control sample. Fortification of muffins resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in antioxidant capacity. The PEx_3 and PEx_5 samples were rated highest in the sensory acceptance evaluation. The other quality attributes were similar to the control sample, indicating the validity of introducing extracts in the muffin recipe.

Evaluation of Modified Atmosphere Packaging in Combination with Active Packaging to Increase Shelf Life of High-in Beta-Glucan Gluten Free Cake.

Modified atmosphere packaging and active packaging were combined to prolong the shelf life and quality of the clean label, gluten-free (GF), yeast-leavened cakes enriched in oat fiber preparation. Star anise, cinnamon bark, and clove essential oils were used as emitters of active substances. The following concentrations of gases were chosen: 0% CO2/100%/N2 (MAP1), 60% CO2/40% N2 (MAP2), and approx. 78% N2/21% O2/0.04% CO2 (ATM). Microbiological and physicochemical analyses were conducted. GF cakes were stored for 14 days (analysis in 0, 7, and 14 days). The results showed a decrease in moisture content and lightness of crumb and an increase in hardness. EOs significantly (p ≤ 0.05) slowed down the growth of microorganisms regardless of the type of gas mixture. However, the best bacteriostatic effect was in MAP2. The content of beta-glucan did not change throughout the storage time. Generally, the best results were obtained with the combination of MAP and active packaging-60% of CO2 and 40% of N2-where cinnamon or clove essential oils were used.

Development of Gluten-Free Muffins with ß-Glucan and Pomegranate Powder Using Response Surface Methodology.

More consumers are being diagnosed with celiac disease or diseases in which wheat products should be avoided. For this reason, it is important to increase the range of gluten-free products available. In this study, it was decided to optimize the technology for the creation of a muffin with ß-glucan (BG) and pomegranate (PG), while establishing water share (WT), using the response surface methodology. It was shown that ß-glucan and water had the most significant influence on specific volume and moisture (p ≤ 0.001). However, the increase of hardness, color, and total phenolic content (TPC) was mainly influenced by the increase of pomegranate content (p ≤ 0.01 for harness and color and p ≤ 0.001 for TPC). Consumers accepted products high in ß-glucan more than high in pomegranate. Optimization ended with a composition that included 1.89% BG, 9.51% PG, and 77.87% WT. There were no significant differences between the model and the experimental sample, apart from higher consumer acceptability.