Cidália Peres

Evolution of amino acids and biogenic amines throughout storage in sausages made of horse, beef and turkey meats.

The changes in concentration of free amino acids and biogenic amines, along 28 d of storage at 4°C, were monitored in a wide range of European ripened sausages manufactured from horse, beef and turkey meats. Generally speaking, both chemical families became more concentrated with elapsing time--but rather distinct patterns were followed in each meat type: total free amino acids increased by 13-fold in the case of horse sausages, and 5-fold in the case of beef sausages, but decreased to one third in the case of turkey sausages; and total biogenic amines attained 730 mg/kg in turkey sausages, 500 mg/kg in beef sausages and 130 mg/kg in horse sausages by 28 d of refrigerated storage. For putrescine, maximum levels of 285 mg/kg were attained in turkey and 278 mg/kg in beef sausages; for cadaverine, maximum levels of 6 mg/kg in turkey and 9 mg/kg in beef; and for histamine, maximum levels of 263 mg/kg in turkey and 26 mg/kg in beef. Hence, public safety concerns may be raised in the case of turkey sausages.

Olive paste as vehicle for delivery of potential probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 33

Use of probiotic bacteria and consumes in large - in novel foods to provide beneficial health effects has attracted an increasing interest by the food industry and fermented olives are an excellent example of a new generation of those foods from plant origin so as to assure maximum viability by the time of ingestion during processing and storage of food products, as well as during transit through the gastrointestinal tract. Our study focused on production, characterization and assessment of efficacy of microencapsulation upon survival of probiotic strains and sensory properties of the final olive paste throughout refrigerated storage. Microencapsulation appears to be an effective technique for strain survival, depending on the operating temperature and experimental results on tolerance to gastrointestinal-like conditions, and ability to adhere to intestinal epithelium is thereby presented and discussed. The sensory panel rated all experienced matrices as good, including overall acceptance without significant preference between them. However, the success of microencapsulation was more limited when incorporated into olive paste. Free cells of Lactobacillus plantarum 33 proved able to survive in olive paste during storage at refrigerated temperatures.

Role of Natural Fermented Olives in Health and Disease

Abstract Fermented olives are an important vehicle for delivering probiotics, contributing to magnify their known health benefits, especially in view of their efficacy to prevent or ameliorate specific chronic diseases by influencing the bioavailability and activity of particular bioactive compounds. This chapter attempts to provide an overview of available information on olive fermentation phenomena, and to make a claim for health-promoting nutrients and probiotics from fermented olives, aiming at a better understanding of its potential toward improvement of health.