Amali U. Alahakoon

Evaluation of pathogen inactivation on sliced cheese induced by encapsulated atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Pathogen inactivation induced by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) (250 W, 15 kHz, air discharge) produced in a rectangular plastic container and the effect of post-treatment storage time on inactivation were evaluated using agar plates and cheese slices. When agar plates were treated with plasma, populations of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes showed 3.57, 6.69, and 6.53 decimal reductions at 60 s, 45 s, and 7 min, respectively. When the pathogens tested were inoculated on cheese slices, 2.67, 3.10, and 1.65 decimal reductions were achieved at the same respective treatment times. The post-treatment storage duration following plasma treatment potently affected further reduction in pathogen populations. Therefore, the newly developed encapsulated DBD-plasma system for use in a container can be applied to improve the safety of sliced cheese, and increasing post-treatment storage time can greatly enhance the systems pathogen-inactivation efficiency.

An Overview of Meat Industry in Sri Lanka: A Comprehensive Review

Livestock is considered as one of the most important segments in agriculture since animal husbandry was practiced for centuries as a backyard system by rural families. Livestock plays as a powerful tool in rural development where meat industry contributes a dominant part. Meat and meat products become a vital component in the diet, which had been one of the main protein sources traditionally as well. The development in the livestock and meat industry of Sri Lanka basically depends upon religious, cultural, and economic factors. There is a growing demand for processed meat products in Sri Lankan urban culture and several large scale processors entered the business during the past few decades. The consumption of meat and meat products shows an upward trend in Sri Lanka during the last decade and is anticipated to increase further in future. The growth potential of the local meat industry is considerably high owing to the improvement of the market and consumer perception. The present status, trends, and future prospects for the Sri Lankan meat industry with respect to production, consumption, processing, marketing, and improvement are discussed in this review.

Endogenous functional compounds in Korean native chicken meat are dependent on sex, thermal processing and meat cut.

BACKGROUND In this study the effects of sex, meat cut and thermal processing on the carnosine, anserine, creatine, betaine and carnitine contents of Korean native chicken (KNC) meat were determined. Forty 1-day-old chicks (20 chicks of each sex) from a commercial KNC strain (Woorimatdag™) were reared under similar standard commercial conditions with similar diets, and ten birds of each sex were randomly selected and slaughtered at 14 weeks of age. Raw and cooked meat samples were prepared from both breast and leg meats and analyzed for the aforementioned functional compounds. RESULTS Female KNCs had significantly higher betaine and creatine contents. The breast meat showed significantly higher carnosine and anserine contents, whereas the leg meat had a higher betaine and carnitine content. The content of all functional compounds was significantly depleted by thermal processing. CONCLUSION This study confirms that KNC meat is a good source of the above-mentioned functional compounds, which can be considered attractive nutritional quality factors. However, their concentrations were significantly affected by thermal processing conditions, meat cut and sex. Further experiments are needed to select the best thermal processing method to preserve these functional compounds.

Effect of Sex on Flavor-related and Functional Compounds in Freeze-dried Broth Made from Korean Native Chicken.

Studies on the flavour characteristics of meat-based broth, quantification of flavour-related and functional compounds, and factors affecting the availability of such compounds are minimal. The present study was designed to determine the effects of sex on flavor-related and functional compounds in freeze-dried broth (FDB) made from Korean native chickens (KNC). Male and female KNC from a commercial strain (WoorimatdagTM) were reared under similar commercial conditions. FDB was separately prepared using male and female birds aged 100 d (six birds of each sex) and analyzed for nucleotide, free amino acid, betaine, carnitine, carnosine, anserine, and creatine contents, and fatty acid composition. The levels of betaine, carnitine and creatine in FDB were not significantly different between the two sexes (p>0.05) in KNC. Carnosine and anserine were not detected in FDB samples. However, FDB from female chickens had significantly higher inosine-5-monophosphate and arachidonic acid contents than did FDB from male chickens. FDB prepared with male KNC contained higher levels of inosine, linoleic acid, glycine, alanine, lysine, and serine (p<0.05). However, glutamic acid, oleic acid, and DHA were present in comparable amounts (p>0.05) in FDB made from male and female KNC. Our findings suggest that the sex of KNC has significant effect on the contents of flavor-related compounds, but not functional compounds.

Effects of Electron Beam Irradiation and High-Pressure Treatment with Citrus Peel Extract on the Microbiological, Chemical and Sensory Qualities of Marinated Chicken Breast Meat

Chicken breast meat samples were injected with marinade solution (salt, sugar, phosphate, monosodium glutamate, and nucleic acid) with or without 2% citrus peel extract (CPE), and then a subset were irradiated with a 1 or 2 kGy electron beam (EB) and/or subjected to high-pressure (HP) at 300 or 400 MPa. The initial total aerobic bacterial (TAB) count of the control sample was 4.57 log CFU/g and reached 7.17 log CFU/g after 3 days of storage at 4°C. The 2 kGy EB reduced the TAB count to 4.61 log CFU/g after 7 days. The 400 MPa HP treatment was also effective in reducing the TAB count, but the effect was slightly less than that noted with the 2 kGy EB. The CPE, in combination with the EB and HP, decreased the TAB count by 1.71 and 1.32 log CFU/g at the initial stage and further decreased the count during storage. The 2 kGy EB and the HP (300 and 400 MPa) increased the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances value, whereas the CPE did not show an antioxidative effect. The EB and HP caused no difference in the sensory qualities. In contrast, the CPE decreased all sensory qualities tested. Sensory panelists commented that the samples with CPE were not in the “rejection” category but were “unfamiliar” for chicken breast meat. In conclusion, the EB was more effective than HP in improving the microbial quality of marinated chicken breast meat. The use of CPE in the marinade solution may synergistically increase the shelf life; however, it is necessary to develop an appropriate formulation to ensure that the sensory qualities are maintained.

Antimicrobial Effect of Calcium Chloride Alone and Combined with Lactic Acid Injected into Chicken Breast Meat

Chicken breast meat was injected with calcium chloride alone and in combination with lactic acid (0.01% and 0.002%, respectively). The inhibitory effects of the treatments on microbial growth were determined in the injected chicken breast meat stored at 4°C under aerobic packaging condition for 0, 3, and 7 d. Calcium chloride combined with 0.002% and 0.01% lactic acid reduced microbial counts by 0.14 and 1.08 Log CFU/g, respectively, however, calcium chloride alone was unable to inhibit microbial growth. Calcium chloride combined with 0.01% lactic acid was the most effective antimicrobial treatment and resulted in the highest initial redness value. Calcium chloride alone and combined with lactic acid suppressed changes in pH and the Hunter color values during storage. However, injection of calcium chloride and lactic acid had adverse effects on lipid oxidation and sensory characteristics. The higher TBARS values were observed in samples treated with calcium chloride and lactic acid when compared to control over the storage period. Addition of calcium chloride and lactic acid resulted in lower sensory scores for parameters tested, except odor and color, compared to control samples. Therefore, the formulation should be improved in order to overcome such defects prior to industrial application.