Combined UV-C Technologies to Improve Safety and Quality of Fish and Meat Products: A Systematic Review.

This study aimed to identify the best UV-C combined treatments for ensuring the safety and quality of fish and meat products. A total of 4592 articles were screened in the relevant databases, and 16 were eligible studies. For fish, the most effective treatments to reduce Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were UV-C at 0.5 J/cm2 + non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) for 8 min (33.83%) and 1% Verdad N6 + 0.05 J/cm2 + vacuum packaging (25.81%), respectively. An oxygen absorber with 0.102 J/cm2 was the best combined treatment, reducing lipid oxidation (65.59%), protein oxidation (48.95), color (ΔE = 4.51), and hardness changes (18.61%), in addition to a shelf-life extension of at least 2 days. For meat products, Gram-negative bacteria were more reduced by nir-infrared heating (NIR-H; 200.36 µW/cm2/nm) combined with 0.13 J/cm2 (70.82%) and 0.11 J/cm2 (52.09%). While Gram-positive bacteria by 0.13 J/cm2 with NIR-H (200.36 µW/cm2/nm), 1, 2, or 4 J/cm2 with flash pasteurization (FP) during 1.5 or 3 s, and 2 J/cm2 with FP for 0.75 s (58.89-67.77%). LAE (5%) + 0.5 J/cm2 was promising for maintaining color and texture. UV-C combined technologies seem to be a cost-effective alternative to ensure safety with little to no quality changes in fish and meat products.

Can droplet size influence antibacterial activity in ultrasound-prepared essential oil nanoemulsions?

Essential oil nanoemulsion may have improved antibacterial properties over pure oil and can be used for food preservation. Ultrasonic cavitation is the most common mechanism for producing nanoemulsions, and the impact of processing parameters on droplet properties needs to be elucidated. A systematic literature search was performed in four databases (Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed), and 987 articles were found, 16 of which were eligible for the present study. A meta-analysis was performed to qualitatively assess which process parameters (power, sonication time, essential oil, and tween 80 concentration) can influence the final droplet size and polydispersity and how droplet size is associated with antibacterial activity. We observed that power, essential oil, and tween 80 concentrations added during processing are the critical variables for forming smaller droplets. Ratios of up to 3:1 (surfactant:oil) can produce droplets smaller than 180 nm with antibacterial properties superior to pure oil or isolated compounds. The improved properties of nanoemulsions are associated with the size and chemical composition of the droplet since the proportion of the hydrophobic core (EO) and the hydrophilic outer layer (Tween 80) directly influences the antibacterial mechanism of action.

Influência do ultrassom no crescimento de Salmonella typhimurium / Influence of ultrasound in Salmonella typhimurium growth

O ultrassom tem sido amplamente estudado na inativação de microrganismos e no processamento de alimentos. Entretanto, o efeito sobre o crescimento de bactérias ainda é pouco elucidado. O presente estudo avaliou o efeito de diferentes densidades energéticas de ultrassom (0; 0,11; 0,22 e 0,43 KJ/mL) no crescimento de Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium em caldo BHI. Altas densidades energéticas diminuíram (p < 0,05) a duração da fase lag e a densidade de células na fase estacionária. Entretanto, não houve diferença (p < 0,05) na velocidade de crescimento. Portanto, os resultados do presente estudo alertam para os riscos do ultrassom quando aplicado isoladamente. Assim, as aplicações desta tecnologia, isoladamente, em alimentos que suportam o crescimento de patógenos, como carne e produtos cárneos, devem ser minuciosamente avaliadas para cada tipo de produto.

Caracterização sensorial e análises físico-químicas de diferentes espécies de peixes durante armazenamento a 0°C / Sensorial description and physicochemical analyzes of different species of fishes during 0°C storage

O consumo de peixe vem aumentando devido aos seus benefícios nutricionais. No entanto, é um produto altamente perecível devido à sua composição. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o comportamento sensorial e físico-químico de três espécies de peixe: xixarro (Trachurus lathami), olho de cão (Priacanthus arenatus) e corvina (Micropogonias furnieri), durante o período de 11 dias de estocagem. Foram realizadas a caracterização sensorial e análises de cocção, pH, amônia, gás sulfídrico e bases voláteis totais. O pH e as bases voláteis totais não apresentaram resultados superiores aos da legislação. A caracterização sensorial indicou que o xixarro sofreu alterações sensoriais mais rapidamente que as outras espécies e as análises físico-químicas feitas não foram suficientes para detectar os primeiros estágios da deterioração.