Meat quality evaluation of minimally aged broiler breast fillets from five commercial genetic strains.

A total of 1,040 birds from 5 common commercial genetic broiler strains were raised and processed to analyze the effect of strain and deboning time on meat quality. The birds were processed at either 6 or 7 wk of age in 4 replications each. Carcasses were deboned at either 2 or 4 h postmortem (PM; n = 52 birds per treatment). Carcass and breast weights were measured on each bird to calculate breast yield. Muscle pH was measured at time of deboning. Fillets deboned at 4 h PM were measured for length, width, and height to evaluate footprint analysis. At 24 h PM, fillets were weighed to calculate drip loss, and color (L*) was also measured. The fillets were then cooked to 76 degrees C, and cook loss was calculated. Fillets were then subjected to shear analysis using the Meullenet-Owens razor shear method where shear energy (N x mm) was calculated to evaluate tenderness. The strains in this study were chosen for differences in yield; therefore, as expected, breast yield was significantly different among strains. Variation in meat quality attributes existed among strains deboned at 2 h PM, but there was no consistent relationship between meat quality and breast yield. However, at 4 h PM, fewer differences among strains existed in meat quality characteristics (tenderness, water holding capacity, and pH). As expected, deboning at 2 h PM resulted in higher shear energy, higher muscle pH, and lower L* value compared with deboning at 4 h PM in all but one strain. However, water-holding capacity was not affected by deboning time at either age interval. Footprint analysis showed that most differences among strains were in heights measured at the fillet midpoint and caudal end. These results suggest that early deboning may affect meat quality of broiler strains differently, resulting in greater variation within the industry.

Pilot-scale bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils.

The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) conducted a pilot-scale study at a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site in New Jersey. The objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of an innovative chemical/biological treatment process (MGP-REM process) to remediate soils contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In order to identify the benefits of the MGP-REM process, the system was also operated in the conventional bioremediation mode. Results showed that the MGP-REM process can effectively treat PAH-contaminated MGP site soils, and it reduced the toxicity of the soil by a factor of 50, as indicated by the Microtox Toxicity Test. The MGP-REM process was 70% more efficient than conventional bioremediation in the removal of the PAHs from the soils. Air emissions data suggest that minimal air pollution control and monitoring are required for the slurry-phase application of both the MGP-REM process and the conventional biological treatment. Process economics indicate that the MGP-REM process in a slurry-phase mode has an estimated treatment cost of $100/cubic yard for remediation of PAH-contaminated soils.

Notes on the mosquitoes of Nepal. IV. Results of the 1994 collecting in the Midwestern Region, including new country records and voucher confirmation (Diptera, Culicidae).

During 1994, field studies were conducted in the Midwestern Region of Nepal. Two camps were located in the "inner terai," low mountain valleys between the Churia Range and the Mahabarat Lekh. A third camp was in the mountains at Jumla. Visits were made to 2 high mountain sites, Simikot, Humla District, and Rara National Park. The result from all these sampling sites was the recovery of 6 new country records, 5 in the genus Aedes and 1 in the genus Heizmannia. Some mosquitoes in the Nepal checklist had no voucher specimens. Locality data are given for 9 of these. Biodata on another species that is quite rare in Nepal are given.

Anopheline mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) ecology in relation to malaria transmission in the inner and outer terai of Nepal, 1987-1989.

The ecology of Anopheles mosquitoes in relation to malaria transmission was studied at sprayed and unsprayed villages and two unsprayed cattle sheds in the inner terai of Sindhuli District, Central Region, and at two unsprayed villages and one cattle shed in Kanchanpur, Far Western Region of Nepal, from August 1987 to August 1989. Anopheles maculatus was the most abundant of 26 anopheline species collected in Sindhuli District; however, An. fluviatilis was collected most frequently at human bait and was infected most frequently with malaria sporozoites. Residual house spray controlled the indoor resting abundance of the endophilic resting species and protected the population from malaria during midsummer, but had less effect on exophilic resting species and those abundant after and before spray application during the fall and spring, respectively. Malaria at the unsprayed village was detected predominantly in adults of both sexes, perhaps because young children retired early and frequently slept indoors under bed nets during the early evening period of elevated anopheline host-seeking activity. Malaria transmission was verified by the collection of sporozoite infected An. fluviatilis and An. maculatus during spring at cattle sheds in the forested Churia Hills and during the summer monsoon season within the unsprayed village. An. culicifacies was the most abundant of 12 anopheline species collected in Kanchanpur District. Few females of all species were collected at human bait positioned in or out of houses or had human positive blood meals; none were infected with sporozoites. Malaria incidence was higher in the study village positioned along the forest-rice field ecotone than in the cleared rice growing area.

New mosquito records for Nepal.

Thirteen mosquito species of the genera Aedes, Culex, Mimoyia and Uranotaenia are reported from Nepal for the first time. Taking into account taxonomic changes, 70 species of culicine (i.e., non-anopheline) mosquitoes are now known from Nepal.