Effect of age and diet on carcass and meat quality in ewes.

This study elucidated the effect of age and diet on carcass characteristics and meat quality parameters of Rambouillet ewes. Forty ewes (n = 20 yearling ewes and n = 20 cull ewes) were fed with alfalfa hay (AH) or a 100 % concentrate diet (CD). Treatments were: a) 10 cull ewes were fed only with AH, b) 10 yearling ewes were fed only with AH, c) 10 cull ewes were fed with CD, d) 10 yearling ewes were fed with CD. Productive performance, carcass and meat quality were analyzed. Animals had ten days for adaptation and 35 days were used to collect data. Dry matter intake was greater (P < 0.05) for CD. Feed conversion rates were not affected by treatments. The pH at 45 min and 24 h, carcass length, leg length, leg width, thorax width, and thorax perimeter were not affected by treatments. Hot carcass weight was heavier (P < 0.05) in cull ewes, cold carcass weight was increased (P < 0.05) with CD. Carcass yield (CY) was heavier in CD (P < 0.05). Cull ewes had greater (P < 0.05) lean CIELAB L*, a*, b*, c*, and h* values compared to yearling ewes. The color changes increased with age at five days (P < 0.05), but a decrease (P < 0.05) with diet was observed at ten days. Cathepsins B, B + L, and Lowry protein content were not affected by treatments. In conclusion, feeding cull ewes with concentrate diets may enhance body weight gain and carcass yield compared to a diet based on 100 % alfalfa hay.

Influence of Prebiotic Activity of Agave salmiana Fructans on Mucus Production and Morphology Changes in Colonic Epithelium Cell of Healthy Wistar Rats.

The beneficial health of evaluating prebiotic effect by the consumption of Agave salmiana fructans (A. salmiana fructans) was assessed in the epithelium of the cecum and proximal colon of Wistar rats fed at different doses for 35 days with regards to mucus production, morphological cell changes, and the serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Results showed a significant increase in mucus-secreting cells (P < 0.05) and a normal structure with preserved crypts, without morphological damage to colonic cells for a dose of 12.5% (w/w) with respect to the control and the other doses evaluated. The concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α was decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in the groups with doses of 10 and 12.5% (w/w) at 7 and 35 days, respectively. This effect was positively correlated with the reduction of inflammation in epithelial cells. This study provides direct evidence of the effects of the A. salmiana fructans on the colonic epithelium, demonstrating that a diet supplemented with 12.5% of fructans for 35 days exerts health benefits through the strengthening of the mucosa layer, which favors the adherence of the bacterial population and suppresses inflammation.

Experimental data and predictive equation of the specific heat capacity of fruit juice model systems measured with differential scanning calorimetry.

Specific heat capacity ( C P ) is regarded as a fundamental parameter for the design, operation, and optimization of the heat transfer equipment widely used in the food industry. Using the calorimetric ASTM E1269-11 standard procedure, the C P -temperature ( C P ( T ) ) curves of fruit juice model systems prepared at different mass fractions of fructose/glucose/sucrose/citric acid/pectin and water were measured. Thus, experimental data of C P for solid samples in crystalline and amorphous states from -80 °C up to the melting temperature range and for aqueous samples from -80 to 110 °C were generated. In the tested temperature interval, the C P of crystalline, amorphous, and aqueous samples were found to be in the ranges of 0.037 ± 0.020 to 5.61 ± 0.04; 0.061 ± 0.004 to 3.12 ± 0.19, and 0.363 ± 0.05 to 3.24 ± 0.14 kJ/kg °C, respectively. Also, a generalized empirical equation based on the type and concentration of components was developed to predict the C P ( T ) curves of the studied samples. The proposed equation exhibited a low error sum of squares (SSE <  57.3) and a high coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.927). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with a confidence level of 95% (p < 0.05). The C P ( T ) curves were influenced by temperature, thermal transitions, water, solid types, and compound interactions. Glucose was one of the solids that most significantly influenced the C P values of samples. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The experimental specific heat capacity data and empirical equation proposed in this study are relevant to the design, evaluation, and optimization of heat transfer equipment involved in many foods and biochemical industrial processes such as cryopreservation, frozen storage, freezing, chilling, drying, and the cooking of hard candies.