Effects of essential oils and(or) benzoic acid in beef finishing cattle diets on the fatty acid profile and shelf life stability of ribeye steaks and ground beef.

The effects of feeding essential oils and(or) benzoic acid to finishing steers on fatty acid profile and oxidative stability (color and lipid oxidation) of beef longissimus thoracis steaks and ground beef was determined in this study. Beef was procured from crossbred beef steers (n = 63) fed one of five dietary treatments: (1) control (no antibiotics fed); (2) monensin/tylosin (monensin supplemented at 33 mg/kg [DM basis]; tylosin supplemented at 11 mg/kg [DM basis]); (3) essential oils (supplemented at 1.0 g/steer/day); (4) benzoic acid (supplemented at 0.5% [DM basis]); and (5) combination (essential oils supplemented at 1.0 g/steer/day and benzoic acid supplemented at 0.5% [DM basis]). Although no improvements in shelf life stability were observed, feeding finishing cattle essential oils and(or) benzoic acid did not have detrimental impacts on beef color stability and lipid oxidation over a simulated retail display period.

The effect of specialty salts on cooking loss, texture properties, and instrumental color of beef emulsion modeling systems.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional properties of specialty salts when incorporated into formulations of meat emulsions. Beef emulsion modeling systems were formulated with three types of specialty NaCl salts or a commercially sourced white NaCl salt at three different inclusion levels (0.70%, 1.00%, and 1.30%). Cooking loss, emulsion stability, proximate composition, pH, texture profile, and instrumental color of the emulsions were evaluated with three independent replications. Emulsion stability and cooking loss were primarily affected (P < 0.01) by salt inclusion level, while salt type was not affected (P > 0.12). Stability increased and cooking loss decreased as salt inclusion level increased (linear P < 0.01). Hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness of emulsions increased as salt inclusion level increased for all the treatments and were greatest (P < 0.0001) in all treatments at 1.30% salt inclusion level. Overall salt inclusion level, rather than salt type, had significant effects on water holding ability and emulsion stability.

Effects of the incorporation of ß-glucans in chicken breast during storage.

ß-glucans are cereal-derived soluble fiber compounds that elicit health benefits when consumed in amounts of 0.75 g/serving. The use of ß-glucans in whole muscle meat products, such as chicken breast, is unexplored and needs clarification at a discovery level. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incorporation of ß-glucan in the whole muscle chicken breast and identify changes in physical, chemical, textural, microbiological, and thermal properties during 9 D of aerobic storage at refrigeration temperatures. Treatments were 1) control (no salt or ß-glucan added; CON), 2) salt solution (2% NaCl and 0.2% phosphate curing solution; SALT), 3) ß-glucan solution (1.5% ß-glucan; ßG), and 4) combination of salt and ß-glucan solutions (2% NaCl, 0.2% phosphate, and 1.5% ß-glucan; SALT+ßG). The target injection level was 20%, however the average uptake level was 8.15%. Color, pH, shear force, and bacteria count were minimally affected by treatment during the 9 D of aerobic storage at 4°C. Cooking loss (P < 0.01) was greater in CON samples compared to all other treatments indicating the presence of salt or fiber or both improved water retention. The ß-glucan concentration in uncooked chicken following injection was 0.125 g/100 g product and 0.133 g/100g product in ßG and SALT+ßG treatments, respectively. Following cooking, the ß-glucan concentration was 0.010 g/100g product and 0.004 g/100g product in ßG and SALT+ßG treatments, respectively. There was no storage day effect (P = 0.42) for the ß-glucan concentration in cooked product, therefore it was assumed that during cooking, ß-glucan concentration in whole muscle injected products was lost. Finally, thermal behavior measured with a differential scanning calorimeter indicated that there were only minimal differences, although some significant, among treatments in this study. Overall, the application of ß-glucan injection in whole chicken breast was not detrimental to product quality and actually improved water retention levels. However, new methods need to be developed for the incorporation of ß-glucan in injected whole muscle meat product so that ß-glucan can be retained during and after cooking.

Replacing starch in beef emulsion models with ß-glucan, microcrystalline cellulose, or a combination of ß-glucan and microcrystalline cellulose.

Barley sourced beta-glucan (ßG), microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), or starch were added to beef emulsions containing beef, olive oil, salts, and water. Emulsions with inclusion levels of 1% of ßG, MCC, or starch, 2% of ßG, MCC, or starch, or 3% of ßG, MCC, or starch, and a mixture of ßG (1.5%) and MCC (1.5%) were evaluated for proximate composition, cooking loss, instrumental color, and texture profile analyses (TPA) in three independent replications. As expected, proximate composition differed based mainly on the hydrocolloid used and formulation. Cooking loss was not different among treatments. However, TPA differed with ßG samples having lower (P < .05) values for hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness compared with MCC and starch samples, while samples prepared with MCC and starch presented similar TPA. Emulsions prepared with ßG had greater (P < .05) b* values before cooking when compared with emulsions prepared with MCC and starch, but these differences were not observed in cooked emulsions.

Incorporation of ß-glucans in meat emulsions through an optimal mixture modeling systems.

The effects of ß-glucans (ßG) in beef emulsions with carrageenan and starch were evaluated using an optimal mixture modeling system. The best mathematical models to describe the cooking loss, color, and textural profile analysis (TPA) were selected and optimized. The cubic models were better to describe the cooking loss, color, and TPA parameters, with the exception of springiness. Emulsions with greater levels of ßG and starch had less cooking loss (<1%), intermediate L* (>54 and <62), and greater hardness, cohesiveness and springiness values. Subsequently, during the optimization phase, the use of carrageenan was eliminated. The optimized emulsion contained 3.13 ±â€¯0.11% ßG, which could cover the intake daily of ßG recommendations. However, the hardness of the optimized emulsion was greater (60,224 ±â€¯1025 N) than expected. The optimized emulsion had a homogeneous structure and normal thermal behavior by DSC and allowed for the manufacture of products with high amounts of ßG and desired functional attributes.