Giulia Secci
University of Florence
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Featured researches published by Giulia Secci.
Food Chemistry | 2016
Giulia Secci; Giuliana Parisi; Gabriel Dasilva; Isabel Medina
The consequences of slaughter on the formation of lipid metabolites and oxidative stability of fish muscle during long term frozen storage (-10 °C) were evaluated using farmed rainbow trout killed by asphyxia in air or percussion. The level of major adenine nucleotides and their related compounds was determined in order to check the stress level during slaughter. Plasma lipid metabolites were studied through the determination of eicosanoids and docosanoids such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, isoprostanes, resolvins, hydroxides, hydroperoxides, coming from eicosapentaenoic (EPA), arachidonic (ARA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. In addition, lipid oxidative stability of fillets was monitored. Results revealed that stress during slaughter can greatly influence oxidative stress and oxidative stability of rainbow trout fillets. In fact, asphyxia, which was the most stressful, induced a higher production of some lipid mediators such as hydroperoxides and EPA-derived prostaglandins, such as 12-HpHEPE/15-HpHEPE and PGD3/PGE3. As a consequence, fillets derived from asphyxiated fish were less stable in terms of oxidative stability and showed lower shelf-life.
Italian Journal of Animal Science | 2016
Giulia Secci; Giuliana Parisi
Abstract Lipid oxidation is a very complex and important event threatening the quality of foods especially of those containing highly unsaturated fats. Fish are the main source of polyunsaturated fatty acids that, unfortunately, are highly susceptible to degradation process, such as oxidation. Fish supply chain generally involves many steps and each of them together with their interaction might play a central role in muscle quality maintenance. From this review emerged that antioxidants supplementation diet can play a central role to limit the detrimental effects of stress (pre-slaughter or at killing) and storage. In this sense, lycopene shows the best antioxidant activity during stressful conditions while α-tocopherol acts preferentially in long-term frozen storage. Stress just before or at slaughter can greatly threaten flesh quality both immediately and after storage by inducing numerous metabolic pathways, that often involve the production of very reactive molecular species, such as hydroperoxides. A common operation such as bleeding can significantly reduce both reactive molecules and haemoglobin (Hb), which is recognised as a great pro-oxidant. Temperature and duration are two critical points of storage phase which has to be considered even by consumers. Frozen storage at very low temperatures (−30 °C, −40 °C) confirms to be the best storage practise. Finally, cooking can compromise aromatic profile of cooking fillets. Thus, feeding antioxidant, reducing stress both during pre-slaughter practise and at killing, good storage practises, if associated with an appropriate cooking method (low temperature, short time) seems to be the clues for preserving the fragile lipid fraction from farm to fork.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture | 2016
Giulia Secci; Andrea Serra; Anna Concollato; Giuseppe Conte; Marcello Mele; Rolf Erik Olsen; Giuliana Parisi
BACKGROUND Carbon monoxide (CO) has been recently utilized as a new stunning/killing procedure for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Its effects on lipid and cholesterol oxidation of farmed Atlantic salmon fillets were evaluated at two times of refrigerated (2.5 °C) storage, T0 (64 h after death) and T14 (14 days from T0). The use of CO was compared with the commonly utilized percussion (P) method. RESULTS Fatty acid profile, primary (conjugated dienes) and secondary (TBARS) oxidation products, cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) and carotenoids were unaffected by the killing method. Despite the low oxidative status of lipid (0.66 and 0.60 mg malondialdehyde kg(-1) muscle in P and CO fish respectively), cholesterol was found to be highly oxidized (0.17 and 0.13 mg COPs kg(-1) ). Storage significantly affected oxidative stability of fish muscle by increasing oxidation products. Interestingly, TBARS content doubled while the increase for COPs was not homogeneous: α- and β-epoxycholesterol increased by 25%, whereas triol and 7-ketocholesterol increased by 48 and 62% respectively. CONCLUSION The quality of salmon fillets just after slaughtering and after 14 days of refrigerated storage at 2.5 °C did not change, irrespective of the killing method adopted, suggesting that the CO method may be applied without any detrimental effect on the quality of fish fillets.
Meat Science | 2018
Rosa Loponte; Giulia Secci; Simone Mancini; F. Bovera; Valentina Panettieri; A. Nizza; Carmelo Di Meo; G. Piccolo; Giuliana Parisi
Growth performances and meat quality of free-range or cage raised rabbits were compared in 36 male animals. Rabbits were raised in free-range areas (2000 cm2/head) or in open-air cages (800 cm2/head) from weaning to 99 days old. Daily weight gain and final live weight were higher (P < 0.05) for the rabbits raised in cages which presented a more favourable feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) than in the free-range group. The average feed intake, liver and empty gastro-intestinal tract weights were higher (P < 0.05) in the free-range group, while the interscapular fat percentage was higher (P < 0.05) in the caged rabbits. Loins of free-range rabbits had higher amount of PUFA n-6 in neutral lipids (P < 0.05) whereas their polar lipids were richer in PUFA n-6 and n-3 than in those of the cage group. Muscular fat of free-raised rabbits was found to be less susceptible to be oxidized, having a higher antioxidant capacity than the caged group.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture | 2018
Anna Concollato; Antonella Dalle Zotte; Sheyla Cristina Vargas; Marco Cullere; Giulia Secci; Giuliana Parisi
BACKGROUND Electrical stunning (E) and asphyxia in the air (A) are two common stunning/killing methods for fish. However, they can stress the fish and affect flesh quality, so an alternative should be found. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of carbon monoxide asphyxia (CO) compared to E and A on the evolution of post rigor mortis changes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets related to chemical, textural, and sensorial properties during storage time. RESULTS Fish fillets from the E group showed a higher pH (P < 0.05) than the A ones, both at time of rigor resolution (TRR 0) and from TRR 4 until TRR 7 (7 days after rigor resolution, which corresponded to 10 days post mortem), with the CO group being always intermediate. The CO treatment ensured that the fillets showed the lowest yellowness index (b*), even if only at TRR 2 and TRR 5. Lipid oxidation and texture profile analyses were unaffected. Sensory analysis revealed that the CO fillets had the lowest odor intensity and the highest juiciness scores (P < 0.05). The sensory descriptors resulted the most discriminant variables of the fillets obtained from the differently stunned animals, as resulted by the canonical discriminant analysis. CONCLUSION The carbon monoxide stunning/slaughtering method could be applied to rainbow trout without detrimental effects on physical, chemical, or sensory characteristics of the fish flesh.
International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition | 2018
Giulia Secci; Simone Mancini; Valeria Iaconisi; Laura Gasco; Ana Basto; Giuliana Parisi
Abstract Physical and chemical parameters of rainbow trout fillets were tested during 120 days of frozen storage and following cooking. The fillets were obtained from rainbow trout-fed diets where dietary fishmeal was substituted with Hermetia illucens meal at 0, 25 and 50% inclusion levels, corresponding to control (C), Hi25, and Hi50 diets. Variations in quality traits of fillets emerged after 30 days of frozen storage, however they remained almost unchanged for the other 90 days. Increasing levels of H. illucens did not affect pH, shear stress, colour and water holding capacity of fillets. Saturated fatty acids were highly present in Hi50 samples, the polyunsaturated and some monounsaturated ones were higher in C than Hi50, whereas Hi25 always assumed intermediate contents in raw and cooked samples. A medium substitution at the 25% seemed to be the most practical application of insect meal in order to not modify too much the fillets characteristics. Graphical Abstract
International Journal of Food Science and Technology | 2018
Yara Husein; Giulia Secci; Caterina Dinnella; Giuliana Parisi; Renzo Fusi; Erminio Monteleone; Bruno Zanoni
Four ‘clean label’ formulations for fish burgers made with mechanically separated fish meat were characterised in sensory, textural and chemical terms. The formulations differed in the ratios of European sea bass to rainbow trout (50:50 and 30:70) and the ratios of fish to potato flakes (dry matter ratio, DMR: 2.5:1 and 1.5:1). The sensory profile was mainly influenced by DMR. Recipes with the higher DMR were positively correlated with sandy, dry and crusty attributes, salty taste and overall flavour. Soft texture was perceived for recipes with the lower DMR, although no differences in texture were detected by a texturometer. Lowering DMR increased ash and water content and decreased protein content, as expected. The results indicated that 100 g of burger provided more essential fatty acids than the recommended daily intake, irrespective of formulation. In conclusion, multiple factor analysis indicated that the main changes detected and perceived were due to DMR.
Food Research International | 2018
Giulia Secci; Giuseppe Moniello; Laura Gasco; F. Bovera; Giuliana Parisi
A partial substitution (25 or 50%) of dietary protein with Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Hermetia illucens (HI) meals as protein sources in the diet of Barbary partridge (Alectoris barbara) has been tested in terms of raw and cooked meat quality. Twelve partridges per feeding group (control - SBM, HI25, HI50, TM25 and TM50) were slaughtered. The peeled carcasses of the HI25, HI50, TM25 and TM50 groups were heavier than those of the SBM group, both raw and cooked. The pH, color and shear force of the raw meat were not affected to any greater extent by the diet, whereas the presence of insect meal seemed to increase the yellowness index of the cooked meat. The proximate composition was unaffected by both the species and the level of insect meal, although the fatty acid profile was changed considerably. The HI and TM groups had significantly higher C18:1n-9 and lower C16:0 contents than SBM. Furthermore, Hermetia illucens, added as 50% of the dietary protein, induced a significant increase in C12:0 and C16:1n-7. As a result, the highest AI and TI were obtained for the HI50 diet (0.38 and 0.75, respectively), whereas the TM groups both had intermediate AI values (around 0.35) and the lowest TI (0.67). Finally, the cholesterol content of the birds was not affected by insect inclusion in the feeds.
Food Control | 2016
Giulia Secci; Monica Borgogno; Paola Lupi; Silvia Rossi; Gisella Paci; Simone Mancini; Antonio Bonelli; Giuliana Parisi
Animal | 2018
Giulia Secci; F. Bovera; Sandra Nizza; N. Baronti; Laura Gasco; Giuseppe Conte; Andrea Serra; Antonio Bonelli; Giuliana Parisi