Eun Joo Lee

Irradiation and additive combinations on the pathogen reduction and quality of poultry meat

Reduction of foodborne illnesses and deaths by improving the safety of poultry products is one of the priority areas in the United States, and developing and implementing effective food processing technologies can be very effective to accomplish that goal. Irradiation is an effective processing technology for eliminating pathogens in poultry meat. Addition of antimicrobial agents during processing can be another approach to control pathogens in poultry products. However, the adoption of irradiation technology by the meat industry is limited because of quality and health concerns about irradiated meat products. Irradiation produces a characteristic aroma as well as alters meat flavor and color that significantly affect consumer acceptance. The generation of a pink color in cooked poultry and off-odor in poultry by irradiation is a critical issue because consumers associate the presence of a pink color in cooked poultry breast meat as contaminated or undercooked, and off-odor in raw meat and off-flavor in cooked meat with undesirable chemical reactions. As a result, the meat industry has difficulties in using irradiation to achieve its food safety benefits. Antimicrobials such as sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, and potassium benzoate are extensively used to extend the shelf-life and ensure the safety of meat products. However, the use of these antimicrobial agents alone cannot guarantee the safety of poultry products. It is known that some of the herbs, spices, and antimicrobials commonly used in meat processing can have synergistic effects with irradiation in controlling pathogens in meat. Also, the addition of spices or herbs in irradiated meat improves the quality of irradiated poultry by reducing lipid oxidation and production of off-odor volatiles or masking off-flavor. Therefore, combinations of irradiation with these additives can accomplish better pathogen reduction in meat products than using them alone even at lower levels of antimicrobials/herbs and irradiation doses. Effects of irradiation and additive combinations on the pathogen reduction and quality of poultry meat will be discussed in detail.

Breast meat quality of broiler chickens can be affected by managing the level of nitric oxide

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nitric oxide (NO) on the quality of broiler chicken meat during postmortem storage. Eighteen broiler chickens were slaughtered and breast meat was randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments including the control group, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor group, and NO enhancer group. The breast samples were incubated with water, NO enhancer, and NO inhibitor for 1 d and then stored at 4°C under atmospheric conditions for 4 and 7 d. Left side of breast meat was used to determine protein oxidation, lipid oxidation, water-holding capacity, and pH, whereas the right side was used for the measurement of color and drip loss. Breast meat from NO enhancer group showed the lowest water-holding capacity during refrigerated storage, whereas drip losses were not significantly (P > 0.05) different among 3 treatments. Lipid oxidation showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) only at 7 d in which NOS inhibitor group showed the highest, whereas the NO enhancer group showed the lowest levels of lipid oxidation. Carbonyl content in NO enhancer group was significantly higher than the control and NOS inhibitor treatment at 1 and 4 d of refrigerated storage. Lightness of breast meat in the NOS inhibitor group was greater, whereas redness was lower than the control and NO enhancer group at 4 and 7 d of refrigerated storage. The ultimate pH of 3 treatments was not significantly (P > 0.05) different from one another. These data indicate that NO could play a significant role in modulating the quality of fresh broiler breast meat during refrigerated storage.

Effects of increasing concentrations of corn distillers dried grains with solubles on chemical composition and nutrient content of egg

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding high concentrations of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on chemical composition and selected nutrient content of egg yolk. Four isocaloric diets were formulated to contain 0, 17, 35, or 50% corn DDGS. A total of two hundred forty 54-wk-old Single-Comb White Leghorn laying hens were randomly allotted to 2 birds per cage with 3 consecutive cages representing an experimental unit (EU). Each EU was randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments according to a completely randomized design. Hens were fed for a 24-wk experimental period after transition feeding to gradually increase corn DDGS inclusion over a 4-wk period. Two sets of experimental diets were formulated to meet or exceed the NRC nutrient recommendations for laying hens. Each diet formula was fed for 12 wk. Chemical composition and nutritional components in egg yolk were measured every 2 wk. The results showed that egg yolk from hens fed a DDGS-containing diet tended to have higher fat content and lower protein content. Total polyunsaturated fatty acids were significantly increased by the DDGS diet. The contents of choline and cholesterol were initially higher in the 50% DDGS treatment group, but were not different in the later period, especially during the last 4 wk. Lutein content increased linearly as DDGS level increased. The results indicated that feeding a high level of DDGS can increase the content of lutein and polyunsaturated fatty acids in egg yolk, but may not affect the content of cholesterol and choline.

Effects of increasing concentrations of corn distillers dried grains with solubles on the egg production and internal quality of eggs

A study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding high concentrations of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) on egg production and the internal quality of eggs from laying hens. Four diets were formulated to contain 0, 17, 35, or 50% corn DDGS. A total of two hundred forty 54-wk-old Single-Comb White Leghorn laying hens were randomly allotted to 2 birds per cage with 3 consecutive cages representing an experimental unit (EU). Each EU was assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments according to a completely randomized design. Hens were fed for a 24-wk experimental period after transition feeding to gradually increase corn DDGS inclusion over a 4-wk period. Two sets of experimental diets were formulated, and each diet was fed for 12 wk. Egg production, feed consumption, egg component, yolk color, Haugh unit during storage times, and shell breaking strength were measured. Egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake, and feed efficiency were adversely affected by the highest level of DDGS in the diet (50%) during the first 12-wk period. Once diets were reformulated to include an increased concentration of both lysine and methionine, differences among the dietary treatments were reduced, as the performance of the 50% DDGS diets was greatly improved. Over the last 6 wk of study, no differences in egg production, egg weight, and feed intake among DDGS treatments were found. The DDGS diets positively affected the internal quality of eggs during storage. Improved yolk color and Haugh unit were observed as the dietary DDGS levels increased, but the increase for Haugh unit was significant only when the DDGS level was 50%. Shell weight percentage was increased in the 50% DDGS diet, but no differences in yolk and albumen percentage were observed. It was concluded that up to 50% of DDGS could be included in the layers diet without affecting egg weight, feed intake, egg mass, feed efficiency, and egg production as long as digestible amino acids were sufficient in DDGS-added diets.

Characterisation of phosvitin phosphopeptides using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Putative phosphopeptides produced from enzyme hydrolysis of phosvitin were identified and characterised using MALDI-TOF/MS. Phosvitin was heat-pretreated and then hydrolysed using pepsin, thermolysin, and trypsin at their optimal pH and temperature conditions with or without partial dephosphorylation. Pepsin and thermolysin were not effective in producing phosphopeptides, but trypsin hydrolysis produced many peptides from phosvitin: 12 peptides, 10 of which were phosphopeptides, were identified from the trypsin hydrolysate. Twelve peptides were also identified from the trypsin hydrolysate of partially dephosphorylated phosvitin, but the phosphate groups remaining with the peptides were much smaller than those from the trypsin hydrolysate of intact phosvitin. This suggested that the phosphopeptides produced from the partially dephosphorylated phosvitin lost most of their phosphate groups during the dephosphorylation step. Therefore, partial dephosphorylation of phosvitin before trypsin hydrolysis may not be always recommendable in producing functional phosphopeptides if the phosphate groups play important roles for their functionalities.

Effect of Fermentation Temperature on the Volatile Composition of Kimchi

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of fermentation temperature on the volatile composition in Kimchi. Kimchi was fermented at 2 temperature conditions (4 and 20 °C). Volatile compounds of Kimchi samples were analyzed during the fermentation periods using the dynamic headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. The optimum ripening time for the Kimchi fermented at 4 °C was 35 d, and that of 20 °C was 2 d. The pH at the optimum ripening time was 4.97 and 4.41, and the titratable acidity was 0.59% and 0.76% for the Kimchi fermented at 4 and 20 °C, respectively. Forty different types of volatile compounds, including alcohol, aldehyde, ester, and sulfur compounds, were identified. The Kimchi fermented at 20 °C produced greater amounts of volatile compounds than that at 4 °C. The amounts of most volatiles increased as the fermentation time increased, but those of aldehydes decreased rapidly during both 4 and 20 °C fermentation. Organic acids, ester, and nitriles were detected only in Kimchi fermented at 20 °C. The amounts of dimethyl disulfide, methyl-2-propenyl disulfide, and di-2-propenyl disulfide produced from the Kimchi fermented at 20 °C were more than 2-times of those at 4 °C. Therefore, it is concluded that the strong pungent odor of Kimchi fermented at 20° C is probably due to the high amount of organic acids (low pH) and sulfur compounds (dimethyl disulfide, methyl-2-propenyl disulfide, and di-2-propenyl disulfide) between the 2 Kimchi.

Effect of oregano oil and tannic acid combinations on the quality and sensory characteristics of cooked chicken meat

Abstract The antioxidant effects of oregano essential oil and tannic acid combinations on ground chicken breast and thigh meats were studied. Six treatments, including: 1) control (none added), 2) 100 ppm oregano essential oil + 5 ppm tannic acid, 3) 100 ppm oregano essential oil + 10 ppm tannic acid, 4) 200 ppm oregano essential oil + 5 ppm tannic acid, 5) 200 ppm oregano essential oil + 10 ppm tannic acid, and 6) 5 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) for breast or 14 ppm for thigh meat, were prepared. Cooked meat samples were individually vacuum‐packaged in oxygen‐impermeable vacuum bags and then cooked in‐bag to an internal temperature of 75°C. After cooling to room temperature, the cooked meat was re‐packaged in new oxygen‐permeable bags and stored at 4°C for 7 days. Cooked ground chicken meats were analyzed for lipid and protein oxidation and volatiles at 0, 3, and 7 d of storage. The significant differences among the treatments were very clear in cooked meat samples: Thigh meat patties showed higher 2‐thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total carbonyl, and volatiles content compared to the breast meat during storage. A combination of 200 ppm oregano oil with 10 ppm tannic acid showed the most significant effects (P < 0.05) on TBARS, total carbonyl, and off‐odor volatile formation for both breast and thigh meats. Oregano oil (200 ppm) and 10 ppm tannic acid combination also showed positive effects on the sensory scores of chicken thigh meat. In conclusion, the combination of 200 ppm oregano oil and 10 ppm tannic acid could be a good replacement for the synthetic antioxidants in ground cooked chicken meat.