Giuseppe Beretta

Ostrich meat: Physico-chemical characteristics and comparison with turkey and bovine meat.

In several European countries ostrich breeding has now become quite common. In Italy this has also given rise to the need for regulations for the slaughtering of Ratites. The present work studies and compares the physico-chemical characteristics of the meat from the thigh of the ostrich with the same anatomical cuts of turkey and bovine. The ostrich meat muscle of the thigh was imported vacuum packed from Israel and France, the muscles considered were m. flexor cruris and m. iliofibularis. The turkey thighs were from the domestic market (supermarket) and the bovine muscle m. pectineus was from spent milking animals from an EEC slaughterhouse. Needless to say that the breeding, the feeding and the system of slaughtering could influence some parameters of the different kinds of meat; however these factors could not be assessed. Due to its tenderness, low fat content and cholesterol levels ostrich meat is, in accordance with modern-day nutritional principles, a valid alternative to other kinds of meat.

Cured products from different animal species

An assessment was made of the proximate composition, pH and a(W) of raw beef, horsemeat and the meat of wild boar, deer and goat. The same assessment, together with one of fatty acids, cholesterol and free amino acids, was made of the same meats as cured products. The raw meat of the different animal species was found to have a reduced lipid, but high protein content. The cured meat of the horse and wild boar had low saturated fatty acid levels; the wild boar, goatmeat and beef were quantitatively similar with regard to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) while in the horsemeat the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were more raised, at an intermediate level in deer and extremely reduced in the beef final product. The cholesterol content in the cured product was markedly reduced in the horsemeat. The free amino acids content in the cured deer, wild boar and goat meat was more elevated, than in beef and horse cured meat.

Buffalo meat as a salted and cured product

Bresaola, a GPI product, is produced by salting and curing different cuts of the hindquarters of lean bovine meat. The use of buffalo meat to produce similar processed, cold-cut products demonstrated the possibility of transforming cuts of buffalo rump into a product similar to that of beef, even considering parameters that penalise the buffalo product like tenderness and colour.

Characterisation of a lard cured with spices and aromatic herbs

The study considered the proximate composition, pH, free acidity, MDA and peroxide values of a cured and ripened lard covered with spices and aromatic herbs, these latter parameters, due to lipolytic endoenzymatic phenomena, tended to increase until the end of the salting period. Throughout the production phases the bacterial load was very low. The final vacuum-packed product had a shelf-life of about 90 days and its fatty acid and cholesterol composition was typical of lard. A GC/MS study of the spices/herbs in the lard highlighted which components came from the spices/aromatic herbs and which came from phenomena due to lipolytic endoenzymatic processes.

Smoked tuna, sliced and vacuum packed, a relatively new product

ZusammenfassungEs wurde die Möglichkeit studiert, den geräucherten Thunfisch vakuumverpackt aufzubewahren. Die anschließend durchgeführten mikrobiologischen, chemischen und sensorischen Analysen bestätigten, daß die hygienischen Bedingungen und die Eigenschaften des Produktes nach einer Aufbewahrungszeit von 60 Tagen bei 5°C unverändert erhalten bleiben.SummaryThe possibility of storing vacuum packed, smoked and sliced tuna fish was studied. The microbiological and chemical analyses demonstrated that hygienic conditions and organoleptic properties remain unaltered after storage at 5° C for 60 days.

In vitro Expression of Proline-requiring Mutants in Zea mays L.

Summary The proline-requiring mutants ( pro ) in maize are seedling lethal monogenic recessive mutants. Their proline requirement is absolute as proved by growth of embryo, shoot and root tip cultures. The data here presented relate to mutant expression in callus cultures. The results show that mutant cultures respond positively to addition of proline to the medium, which confirms previous results obtained in vivo . However, their requirement is not absolute since they are able to survive with a very reduced growth rate in the absence of proline. This suggests that pro mutants in vitro act as leaky mutants.