A study on sensory properties of sodium reduction and replacement in Asian food using difference-from - control test.

This study examined the effects of sodium reduction and flavor enhancers on the sensory profile of two types of hawker foods commonly consumed in Singapore, namely chicken rice and mee soto broth. The 'difference-from-control' test was the method adopted in this study involving 24-29 trained panelists. Combinations included blind control, two levels of sodium reduction, and two levels of flavor enhancers in sodium-reduced recipes. In the sodium-reduced recipes, two levels of NaCl, 0.48% and 0.55%, for chicken rice, and 0.76% and 0.86% for mee soto (equivalent to 31% and 22% reduction in NaCl), were used. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) or Ajiplus (®) (a blend of MSG and nucleotides) at 0.20% and 0.40% were added to the recipes comprising a reduction of 40% in NaCl (equivalent to 31% and 22% reduction in sodium, respectively) compared with the control. It was found that the inclusion of MSG or Ajiplus (®) in 40% NaCl-reduced recipe resulted in a significant increase in perception of umami taste (P < 0.05) when compared to the control. By adding flavor enhancers into the 40%-reduced salt chicken rice recipes, the perception of saltiness was significantly increased when compared to 22% and 31% sodium reduced recipes. Similarly for mee soto broth, there was a significant increase in perception of chicken flavor, umami taste, mouthfeel sensation, and sweet taste (P < 0.05) with a decrease in the perception of sour and bitter taste when compared to control. By adding 0.40% MSG into the 40%-reduced salt recipes, the perception of saltiness was maintained when compared with control.

Effect of lipid type on growth performance, meat quality and the content of long chain n-3 fatty acids in pork meat.

The aim of the present study was to produce pork with enhanced nutritive value for humans, both in terms of fatty acid profile (mainly long chain n-3 fatty acids by feeding fish oil) and selenium. Forty-eight female pigs were allocated to one of six treatment groups: animal by-products and plant feedstuffs with tallow, plant feedstuffs with a blend of soybean oil and linseed oil with or without a supplement (CLA, selenium, vitamin E and vitamin C), plant feedstuffs with tallow and supplement, plant feedstuffs with fish oil and supplement. The diets containing the fish oil were fed up to either 49 days or 28 days before slaughter. The dietary treatments had no significant effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality. When fish oil was included in the diet, higher levels of EPA, DPA and DHA were measured in the subcutaneous fat (up to 3.74%).

Effects of dietary components including garlic on concentrations of skatole and indole in subcutaneous fat of female pigs.

The results reported here showed that threshold concentrations of skatole and indole in rice-bran oil for Singaporean consumers were 0.028 µg/g and 0.051 µg/g, respectively, and that skatole and indole levels in subcutaneous fat of pigs can be affected by diet. In Experiment A, 31 female pigs were fed with diets based on plant products only (P) or plant plus animal by-products (AP), with added levels of garlic essential oil from zero to 2.15 g/kg feed. Concentrations of skatole and indole increased with increasing garlic concentration (P < 0.001). In Experiment B, P and AP diets were fed to 47 female pigs with different dietary lipid sources (fish oil, tallow, and a mix of linseed oil and soya oil). Skatole and indole concentrations were higher in backfat of pigs fed with the AP diet (P < 0.05), but were unaffected by the type of lipid.

The production of pork with garlic flavour notes using garlic essential oil.

Garlic essential oil (GEO) added directly to pork mince or to the diet of pigs was evaluated for its effectiveness in masking undesirable mutton flavour. Pork was from 31 female pigs (Duroc x (Large White x Landrace)) grown on diets containing either animal-plus-plant products (AP diet) or plant products only (P diet) with four levels of GEO: 0, 0.55, 1.44 and 1.84 g/kg feed and 0, 0.55, 1.44 and 2.15 g/kg feed in the AP and P diet, respectively. Garlic flavour increased and mutton flavour decreased in pork from pigs that consumed more than about 150 g and 220 g of GEO in P and AP diets, respectively over the 57-day feeding period. The garlic flavour was stronger and the mutton flavour less intense for pork from pigs on the P diet. When GEO was added to pork mince at 125 ppm, it significantly reduced mutton flavour.